Gaeun, who the group MADEIN last year, has filed a complaint against her former agency CEO.
On the morning of April 29, a press conference was held in Seoul regarding the sexual harassment complaint filed by Gaeun against the CEO of 143 Entertainment, the agency of MADEIN.
In attendance were the mother of the plaintiff, her legal representative, the former A&R team leader of 143 Entertainment, representatives from the Hanbit Media Labor Human Rights Center, and more.
The victim’s legal representative and attorney Moon Hyo Jung stated, “This case involves the agency’s CEO (hereinafter referred toas Mr. A) committing a sexual harassment crime against a female idol group member against her will. Although Mr. A initially admitted to the inappropriate conduct and apologized several times, he later changed his stance, claiming that the sexual contact was not forced, using the victim’s ongoing activities as leverage.”;
She continued, “The victim recently submitted a complaint against Mr. A to the local police station. It is expected that the police will summon him for questioning soon.”;
The representatives from the Hanbit Media Labor Human Rights Center stated, “The CEO called the idol group member into his office, where he verbally abused and threatened her for three hours, then committed acts of sexual harassment that caused her humiliation. At the time, the victim was under the age of 19 and was therefore a minor protected under the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse.”;
In response to the press conference, 143 Entertainment released the following statement:
Hello, this is 143 Entertainment.
We would like to share our official position regarding the press conference held today by the Hanbit Media Labor Human Rights Center. First, we sincerely apologize for the fact that the head of our management company has become embroiled in such controversy.
There are many aspects of the claims made by the member’s side that do not align with the facts. However, as a police investigation is currently underway, we will actively cooperate with the investigation and, in the process, seek to correct any distortions based on objective evidence.
Additionally, it is deeply regrettable that the member’s side, regarding an incident that was already reported last year, demanded a large settlement based solely on their unilateral claims, and when this was refused, proceeded to file a criminal complaint about six months after the incident occurred.
We hope that the truth will be fully revealed through this process, and we will take full responsibility according to the legal judgment. Thank you.
The allegations against Mr. A first became public in November last year, when JTBC’s “Crime Chief”; reported that Mr. A had sexually harassed a girl group member. Following the broadcast, 143 Entertainment the allegations and announced Gaeun’s departure from MADEIN.
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