AV actor-turned influencer Asuka Kirara directly explained the scandal involving former THE BOYZ member Jo Hak-nyeon.
On the 1st, a video of Asuka Kirara's clarification spread across online communities. Asuka Kirara stated her position regarding the controversy through a live broadcast on her social account.
He explained, "I will post a statement on Twitter tomorrow, but I am completely caught up in this. It was May 29, I believe; after attending a friend's birthday party, I contacted a friend I have known for a long time and went out for drinks. It was a male friend I hadn't seen in two years. I didn't even know there were Koreans there and he was someone I met for the first time. I only knew two male friends there, and there were women too, but none of those women knew anything."
He continued, "I didn't even know Mr. Hak-nyeon was there, nor was there any talk about 'come because Mr. Hak-nyeon is there.' I don't understand why it became a story about prostitution," adding, "The person told me, 'I have been a fan for a long time,' and I was meeting him for the first time then. There were quite a few false pieces of information in the Shūkan Bunshun article. It said we met 3 or 4 times, but that was the first time I met him."
Regarding the touching photo, he drew a line by saying, "I saw the photo, but I never hugged. I didn't touch him. No matter what photo you look at, I have never made contact from my side." He affirmed when asked if Jo Hak-nyeon was handsome, saying, "He is handsome," but dismissed the idea of any physical relationship.
In particular, Asuka Kirara raised questions about Jo Hak-nyeon's expulsion from the team due to the scandal involving her. He said, "I suspect they initially wanted to expel him. Otherwise, how could he leave so quickly? I think they are hiding something else."
He lamented, "I think it was taken as 'now is the time' to expel him after the scandal broke. Because, is there a case where someone is expelled just for having a drink? They say it is because he drank with me that he was expelled, and I really dislike that trend. I believe there was certainly something else besides just me. It can't be that there was an expulsion before the Shūkan Bunshun article came out. I think a phone call came to the agency, and Shūkan Bunshun was surprised as well. We were surprised that he was expelled before the article came out; it has been said to be unprecedented."
Jo Hak-nyeon caused a shock when rumors of an affair with Asuka Kirara emerged on the 18th of last month. Accordingly, the agency ONE HUNDRED stated, "We take the seriousness of this matter very seriously and clearly recognize that it is difficult to maintain trust as an artist. Therefore, after sufficient discussions with the members of THE BOYZ, we have finalized Jo Hak-nyeon's withdrawal from the team and the termination of the exclusive contract."
Subsequently, reports emerged claiming that Jo Hak-nyeon had engaged in prostitution rather than merely having drinks with Asuka Kirara, and Jo Hak-nyeon rebutted this through a handwritten statement, saying, "It is true that I was at a drinking party with acquaintances, but there was never any prostitution or illegal acts mentioned in the articles or rumors." Nevertheless, as suspicions continued, Jo Hak-nyeon stated, "I have never withdrawn from the team, nor have I agreed to the termination of the exclusive contract," claiming that the agency demanded over 2 billion won in compensation for unjust reasons and pressured him to terminate the contract. He then called for legal action against both the agency and the media that published the prostitution report.
In response, ONE HUNDRED stated, "We recognized that the matter constituted grounds for termination of the contract according to Article 6, Section 3 of the exclusive contract regarding 'acts that cause disruption to entertainment activities to the extent of damaging the dignity of a public cultural artist,' and made a decision accordingly," adding, "The essence of this matter lies in Jo Hak-nyeon's avoidance of responsibility and repeated distorted claims. If Mr. Hak-nyeon's such claims continue, the agency and the associated artist will take all legal measures to avoid damage and will submit evidence and documentation to judicial authorities."
Amidst this, Asuka Kirara also released a belated statement on the 21st of last month, saying, "Do not spread false information," and reiterated, "I have never engaged in sexual acts for money at any point in my life. This is the same for this incident."
Meanwhile, according to the Gangnam Police Station on the 2nd, Jo Hak-nyeon received a non-prosecution disposition regarding the charge of violating the law on punishment for prostitution mediation (prostitution). The police explained that the complaint was based on internet articles and that there were insufficient reasons or circumstances to initiate an investigation.
[Photo] OSEN DB, social media
[OSEN]