Disgraced K-pop stars Jung Joon Young and Choi Jong Hoon have been handed prison sentences on gang rape charges.
The two singers were convicted of charges of aggravated rape after raping women who were ‘drunk and unable to resist’ during parties in Hongcheon in January 2016 and Daegu in March 2016.
Jung, 30, was also charged with filming the sexual assault and sharing the footage with friends in mobile phone chatroom groups.
He has been sentenced to six years in prison, while Choi, 29, has been sentenced to five years.
Both men have also been sentenced to undergo 80 hours in a sexual violence rehabilitation programme, and they have been banned from employment at children and youth facilities for five years.
2 Days & 1 Night star Jung had admitted to the charges of secretly filming and distributing sex videos, but denied the charge of rape, while F.T. Island star Choi had denied all criminal charges against him.
However, Judge Kang Seong-soo told the Seoul Central District Court that the pair had raped women ‘who were drunk and unable to resist, filmed them nude and having sex, then spread it on a group chat’.
‘We can’t imagine the pain the victims might have felt who found out later.’
He continued: ‘Jung argued that his sexual act was done with mutual agreement, while Choi flatly denied having sex with the victims. But Jung confessed he had sex (with the women) together with Choi, and his confession was also proved by their KakaoTalk chats.
‘In this sense, it can be recognised that they jointly raped drunk women.’
The court said that Choi ‘did not feel remorse after mass-raping drunken victims’, while in Jung’s final testimony, he said: ‘I deeply regret my foolishness and I feel great remorse. From now on, I shall only… live in remorse.’
Both Jung and Choi burst into tears after being given their sentences.
In addition to the two stars, three other men were given their sentences today – the older brother of singer Yuri and another defendant received sentences of four and five years in prison respectively for their part in the sexual assaults.
A fifth defendant was given eight months in prison suspended.
Choi was the leader of the Korean rock band F.T. Island, who debuted in 2007 and went on to have three number one albums in South Korea and hits with songs like Lovesick, Love Love Love and I Wish.
He announced his retirement from the entertainment industry this year following the allegations against him.
Jung found fame in 2012 when he finished in third place on the reality show Superstar K4, and went on to appear on season three of 2 Days & 1 Night.
He became the lead singer of the rock band Drug Restaurant and had a successful solo career with songs including The Sense Of An Ending and Sympathy – however, he also retired from the entertainment industry after admitting to filming and sharing intimate footage.
The case against Choi and Jung was found in the Burning Sun scandal – an investigation into Big Bang star Seungri, who was allegedly a member of Jung’s group chat.
As police investigated allegations of Seungri supplying sex workers to potential business investors in his nightclub Burning Sun, they discovered Jung’s videos in the KakaoTalk chatroom.
Earlier this week, it was claimed that the late Kara star Goo Hara helped SBS reporter Kang Kyung Yoon in her investigation against Jung Joon Young.
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