Attorney insists sexual assault allegations against Ki Sung-yueng are true
Ki Sung-yeung / Korea Times file
The attorney representing two alleged victims of physical and sexual assault by pro football star Ki Sung-yeung claimed Friday those charges are all true.
Park Ji-hun, of the Seoul-based firm Hyun Law, also said he has "enough and clear" evidence that supports his clients' allegations that Ki had assaulted them while they were teammates at elementary school in 2000.
"My basic stance is to only disclose evidence to Ki Sung-yueng or his club (FC Seoul in the K League 1), in order to protect his character," Park said. "However, if Ki continues his unethical behavior, then I'll have no choice but to disclose evidence (to the public)."
Park was speaking in reference to Ki's repeated denials of all charges against him: first through his agency and then on his social media.
On Wednesday, Park put out a press release claiming that Ki and one other teammate had ordered Park's two clients to perform sexual acts on them between January and June in 2000, and that when the two alleged victims refused to follow orders, Ki and his friend hit them.
The press release didn't mention names of alleged perpetrators, but one was described as "a star player who recently joined a club in the greater Seoul area."
That description, along with the fact that the two were in sixth grade in 2000 at a school in South Jeolla Province, seemed to connect Ki to the case.
Park also said Friday Ki's camp had pressured him to drop the case and added his clients had given their consent to sending evidence to Ki's club.
The two alleged victims appeared ready to pull themselves out of the case, based on recordings of phone conversations between them and Park obtained by Yonhap News Agency on Thursday.
However, Park sounded further emboldened Friday, saying the clients "have vivid recollections of events that you couldn't have recalled unless you experienced them."
On the other hand, Park acknowledged claims that the two clients in his case had themselves assaulted their teammates in middle school in 2004.
"They both admitted to those charges, and they'd like to offer their sincere apologies to victims," Park said. "They have already been disciplined for their action after thorough investigations." (Yonhap)