Arrest warrant for Ko is rejected

[loverboy.livejournal.com]

After spending most of Wednesday being interrogated, an arrest warrant for entertainer Ko Young-wook was rejected.

“We have insufficient evidence on the matter to issue an arrest warrant,” the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office said.

Ko was allowed to go home while police continue to investigate the sexual assault charges brought against him by three minors.


As he was leaving the police station on Wednesday night, Ko said he was sorry for “causing a disturbance,” and vowed that he would continue to cooperate with the police.

The first accusation against the ’90s dance group member was brought by a teenager and aspiring entertainer in March who claimed that the singer raped her after he suggested meeting up in order to talk about launching her career.

Since then, two other girls have also stepped forward to file similar complaints against the Korean entertainer.

source: korea joongang daily

Comments

[shineebambi.livejournal.com]

Oh Surprise surprise I'm not even shocked when they don't charge rapists or give proper attention to rape cases I'm really not anymore

[in-noctem.livejournal.com]

This is making my blood boil so much. And I wonder if he preyed on the other girls in the same manner (promising to make them a star etc.), or if he's just a sleazeball who hangs around girls half his age.

[uledy.livejournal.com]

Wait, didn't he admit to having relations with the first accuser? Or am thinking of something else? Or did I completely make that up?

[mycorrhizoid.livejournal.com]

I think he made some sort of apology to his fans and claimed that "I'm not as immoral as they're saying I am". He seemed to imply that there was indeed some sort of incident, but that it was taken out of context or wasn't really his fault and he couldn't explain what really happened to the public for an unspecified reason.

So basically he didn't deny that something happened, but he never admitted he did anything specific.

[shineebambi.livejournal.com]

in the most round about way ever yes he did but apparently thats not enough evidence for sk that he raped a girl

[lydzi.livejournal.com]

I'm fucking done with kpop, idec if I sound overly dramatic or not. This is the drop on a glass already too full.

[charlieu.livejournal.com]

Are you really surprised? Even in America, you're taught to hit yourself and bruise if you're ever raped, because no evidence means no crime. Innocent until proven guilty. There were just too many cases of disgruntled girls lying to get back at men.

[dorkiilove.livejournal.com]

who is this guy? a singer or a comedian or something?

[mycorrhizoid.livejournal.com]

He used to be in Roo'ra (hip hop group that debuted in 1994). He's one of the hosts on WGM and was in High Kick 3. He's probably done some other hosting stuff too, but I can't think of what.

[iznanassi.livejournal.com]

He used to be in Roo'ra (really awesome hip hop group) and now he's more of a personality, he hosts some stuff and acts a bit.

[supplanter.livejournal.com]

Well... does this mean this case isn't proceeding or that they're just not going to chuck him in jail beforehand?

(I mean, if it were the US and they arrested him, he'd just be out again on bail. It's not like he's going to just go out and rape someone and the only way to stop him is to put him behind bars so he can't, so....)

[shineebambi.livejournal.com]

After spending most of Wednesday being interrogated, an arrest warrant for entertainer Ko Young-wook was rejected.

so ya no i dont think its proceeding

[supplanter.livejournal.com]

But more girls have stepped forward, and he says he will continue to cooperate with police?

[shineebambi.livejournal.com]

if he got off on the first one chances are the other two arent going to stick and i think hes cooperating cause hes a dick and doesnt see anything wrong with sleeping with underage girls so he feels he is innocent.

[supplanter.livejournal.com]

Well, he's not going to say that he's not going to cooperate with them. I simply inferred that there is something to continue to cooperate about. (Although that could be the new charges rather than the previous ones.)

It looks like proving rape in the case of non-underaged (?) victims has a really high bar in SK, from what I read re: the OWE scandal, that I doubt they will be able to make a case of rape-rape against this guy (especially if the first girl met up with him again after he already raped her?) I have to wonder how seriously SK takes statutory rape, though. (Although, my issue is not with the "having sex with a minor in her late teens" so much as "coercing someone to have sex with you"... also, given the copypasta here (http://omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com/9167524.html?thread=980032932#t980032932), if the age-19 law is actually aimed at sexual trafficking rather than a situation like this, is it the age-13 limit that actually applies? >.>)

(Please don't think I'm making apologies for him; I just was thinking that even if we assume the police are scumbags, it doesn't seem like the laws as they are make it particularly easy for them to operate.)

[supplanter.livejournal.com]

It looks like she'd have to be under 13 (http://thegrandnarrative.com/2010/01/11/south-korea-age-of-consent/) to be considered a minor for the purposes of statutory rape. And since he didn't pay her, and apparently they can't prove that he made her imbibe alcohol to the point of being unconscious or that she fought him and he had to physically force her....

(Although, it makes me wonder how they arrested the OWE CEO, if all the evidence then were also (?) verbal testimonies by the victims?)

[supplanter.livejournal.com]

(OK, maybe that article says she wouldn't have to be under 13 after all? But ultimately it didn't know. OTOH, that was 2010, and now the wiki entry just says it's 13.)