SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean police have summoned a Japanese woman who questioned allegations of kissing Jin, a member of K-Pop Boy Band BTS, without permission at the event last year.
The police officer who oversaw the lawsuit at Sopa Police Station in South Korea’s capital Seoul told NBC News over a phone call Friday that the woman has been asked to question allegations of sexual harassment “now that we’ve identified the suspect.”
Police have launched an investigation after receiving the online complaint, officials said. He refused to disclose the woman’s name by citing the privacy laws and said he could not provide further details while the investigation is underway.
The incident happened last June as 32-year-old Jin was celebrating the end of his forced 18-month military service, celebrating the end of his forced 18-month military service by offering free hugs to fans at an event in Seoul, where around 1,000 people reportedly attended.
During the event, Yonhap news agency reported that a woman in her 50s suddenly kissed Jin on the cheek. The BTS star looked uncomfortable in the widely shared video footage online.
“My lips touched his neck. According to Yonhap, the woman later wrote in a blog post.
Yonhap reported that the woman was identified with support from Japanese police and had previously refused to appear in response to questions.
The seven-person supergroup BTS debuted in 2013 and then surged to Global Stardom. The fan is known as “BTS Army.”
As the oldest member of the BTS, Jin was first discharged from military duty after members were allowed to delay enlistment until the age of 30. Another member, J-Hope, completed the service in October, with the remaining five members (V, RM, Jimin, Jungkook and Suga) still serving.
The band’s highly anticipated reunion date remains unknown.
Stella Kim reported from Seoul, while Julia Chang from Hong Kong.
