On Thursday, Seoul’s Songpa Police said that a Japanese woman has been charged with sexual harassment in a public space under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. She is accused of forcibly kissing Jin — real name Kim Seok-jin — a member of the popular South Korean K-pop band BTS, at a “free hug” event that took place in Seoul last June. The woman, who is in her 50s, reportedly returned to South Korea and voluntarily appeared before the police.
Criminal Complaint Made After Woman Kisses Jin From BTS at Hug Event
The woman’s identity has not been revealed. After the incident, though, she allegedly wrote on her blog that she kissed him “on his neck” and his “skin was very soft.” Clips of the kiss soon went viral and anger spread among BTS fans. In the footage, Jin responded by turning his face away before moving on to the next fan. A criminal complaint was subsequently made against the woman and Songpa Police launched an investigation in February of this year.
The incident occurred a day after the BTS star was discharged from the army. He performed in front of 3,000 people. Of those in attendance, 1,000 won the chance to go up on stage to hug him. A report by Yonhap says another woman is suspected of kissing him during the three-hour-long “hugathon.” However, she has yet to be located. Under Korean law, sexual harassment in a crowded public space is punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine not exceeding 3 million won (around ¥300,000), detention or a minor penalty.
BTS with their Billboard Music Award
BTS Members’ Mandatory Military Service
Kim Seok-jin, better known by the mononym Jin, is the oldest member of BTS. He enlisted in the army in December 2022 and became the first member of the group to finish his mandatory military service on June 11, 2024. Jung Ho-seok, known professionally as J-Hope, was discharged four months later. The other five members of the group — Kim Nam-joon (RM), Kim Tae-hyung (V), Park Ji-min (Jimin), Jeon Jung-kook (Jungkook) and Min Yoon-gi (Suga) — are due to complete their service in June of this year.
