KOREA (TR) – A court here has indicted a Japanese woman who had been referred to prosecutors for allegedly kissing Jin of the popular Korean music group BTS last year.
On Monday, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office announced that the woman, aged in her 50s, had been indicted without detention on charges of indecent assault five days before.
The incident took place at a “free hugs” event held for about 1,000 people in Seoul on June 13, 2024. Jin, whose real name is Kim Seok-jin, had just completed the mandatory 18-month military service.
The free hugs were provided by Jin, 32, to attendees in a lineup one by one. When it was the unnamed woman’s turn, she suddenly kissed the star.
In May, the woman turned herself in to South Korean police after they checked security camera footage and spoke with Jin.
According to investigators, Jin has expressed his intention to punish the woman. The woman has stated, “I feel frustrated. I never thought this would become a crime.”
Because the woman lives in Japan, Korean police initially dropped the investigation, saying that to continue would take a considerable amount of time.
However, the investigation resumed once the woman turned herself in. She will now await trial.
Under Korean law, the penalty for indecent assault is imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine of up to 15 million won.
