On June 13 of last year, Jin held the “Jin Greeting” event as part of the “2024 Festa” at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Songpa District, Seoul, and participated in a free-hug session with around 1,000 fans. During this event, Ms. A, a 50-year-old נαραиese woman, forcibly kissed Jin on the cheek, sparking controversy over ѕєχual harαѕѕment.
The woman not only tried to touch Jin’s neck but also later shared a provocative blog post recounting her experience of “forcing a kiss on an idol.” In it, Ms. A wrote, “My lips touched his neck. His skin was incredibly soft.”
On June 19, fans collectively signed a complaint, pointing out that Ms. A had exploited the nature of the “Hug Meeting” event—where it is difficult for participants to explicitly resist or avoid—to cause feelings of ѕєχual shame or discomfort, violating moral norms. Fans accused Ms. A of committing “ѕєχual harαѕѕment,” infringing upon Jin’s ѕєχual autonomy.
The complaint called for immediate action: “The ρσℓι¢є must promptly investigate these fans under Article 11 of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes for public harαѕѕment and impose strict penalties.”
South кσяєαn authorities identified the suspect in January of this year, seven months after requesting international cooperation from Interpol through the National Police Agency. However, when the court officially filed charges against Ms. A at the end of February and requested her appearance for the investigation, she repeatedly refused to appear.
The situation became more complicated at the end of March, leading ρσℓι¢є to temporarily suspend the investigation. But as the saying goes, “paper can’t wrap fire”! In May of this year, Ms. A finally entered South кσяєα, voluntarily presented herself to the ρσℓι¢є, and accepted full legal responsibility. After questioning the suspect, Songpa ρσℓι¢є referred the case to the prosecution with charges of public ѕєχual harαѕѕment under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.
In the latest development, Sports Kyunghang reported on November 17 that the Eastern Seoul Prosecutor’s Office confirmed Ms. A, the נαραиese woman in her 50s, was indicted on November 12 under the law concerning ѕєχual crimes for public harαѕѕment. The case will next proceed to Criminal Court No. 9 of the Eastern Seoul District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jung-min) for a public trial.
According to кσяєαn media reports, incidents of celebrities being harαѕѕed by fans are becoming increasingly serious. Public and fan pressure has prompted authorities to tighten investigations and enforcement in such cases. Ms. A’s sentencing is also seen as a warning to others who may harbor malicious intent toward celebrities in the future.
Meanwhile, Sports Kyunghyang gathered expert opinions. Attorney Jung Tae-won of LKB Pyeongsan Law Firm stated: “Article 11 of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes stipulates that ‘Anyone who harαѕѕes others in a public place shall be subject to imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 30 million won.’ Free-hug activities are based on voluntary participation, but a forced kiss clearly exceeds acceptable boundaries and carries legal responsibility.”
He added: “When a foreign national commits a crime in South кσяєα, the country’s criminal law and special laws apply. Ms. A is a נαραиese citizen, but because the crime occurred in South кσяєα, she will face criminal proceedings here. If convicted, administrative measures such as deportation or entry bans may also be applied.”
Additionally, Jung emphasized: “The court will consider Jin’s testimony regarding the harm, along with any video evidence recorded by the agency and fans, as well as the suspect’s intent and attitude of remorse. Above all, with such cases increasing recently, there is a need to strengthen the applicable penalties.”
