Entertainment boss accused of forcing trainee to strip
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The head of an entertainment agency has been accused of forcing a female trainee to take off her clothes, which he referred to as part of becoming a star by learning how to lobby with sex. / Courtesy of Twitter
By Hong Dam-young
The head of an entertainment agency has been accused of forcing a female trainee to take off her clothes because she needed to learn how to lobby with sex to become a star, prosecutors say.
Seoul Nambu District Public Prosecutors’ Office said on Saturday that the man, surnamed Lee, 38, was arrested for sexually molesting a new trainee on April 7.
The prosecutors also booked a woman surnamed Shin, 27, a member of the agency’s girl band, on charges of abetting Lee.
Lee allegedly summoned the victim, who signed a contract with his agency in April, to his room, where he spent 50 minutes forcing her to take off her clothes.
Shin allegedly stripped, lay on a bed and urged the trainee to do the same.
While forcing her to strip, Lee allegedly told the trainee she needed “a stronger mentality.”
The prosecutors filed an arrest warrant for Lee and Shin last month. While they arrested Lee, the court denied the warrant for Shin, saying there was no risk she would flee.
Noting Lee’s criminal record of being accused of assaulting other aspiring trainees during auditions, prosecutors are investigating whether he was involved with any sex lobbying.
“We have found no case of sex lobbying yet,” prosecutors said. “We haven’t found any other victims."
“His case has been extended for further investigation.”