UPDATE: What Exactly Is B.A.P’s Himchan Being Charged With? Click here to read.
B.A.P‘s Himchan has been accused of indecent assault.
After it was revealed earlier today that a B.A.P member had been accused of indecent assault*, the police have decided to forward his case to prosecution.
The B.A.P member was reportedly on vacation in early August** with two other men and three women. It was revealed today that one of the women went to police with accusations that indecent assault had occurred during her time on the vacation. According to her, Himchan was responsible.
At first, the police spoke about the matter by saying that both parties had completely opposing stories and that Himchan had firmly denied the charges. As such, the police would not reveal an exact charge at the time since the matter was being investigated. A few hours later, however, it was revealed the police had made the decision to forward the case to the prosecutor’s office with a recommendation of indictment.
A police source explained that some parts of the story had in fact been corroborated by Himchan, but that the singer continues to strongly deny the woman’s accusations of assault. Despite the conflicting testimonies and the fact that the case is still being investigated, the police say they will send it to the prosecutor’s office on September 10th.
TS Entertainment made a statement concerning the situation, saying that Himchan was invited by an acquaintance to the location mentioned. Once there, a misunderstanding occurred and it was investigated by police.
They revealed, “Although there have been reports that the case was forwarded to the prosecutor’s office with a recommendation of indictment, currently the accounts from the parties [involved] differ and more investigations are necessary. We will follow through properly with the investigation and make another statement when the case has been completed.”
From the company’s statement, it is slightly unclear if TS Entertainment is insinuating that there needs to be further investigation before police send the case to prosecution or whether the police have since changed their minds and are in agreement to investigate more thoroughly before making a decision. Despite the slight confusion over the exact wording of TS’s statement, the police have not yet notified the public of any changes from their earlier stance of forwarding the case to prosecution on the tenth.
The label then closed their official statement by reminding people that the investigation is still ongoing and asking them to refrain from speculation or suggestive reporting. ¹ They then closed their statement by apologizing for causing the public to worry.
Stay tuned for developing details.
Media: TS Entertainment
Source: 1, 2, 3, 5
Translations: Dani Druther (WTK), banillajoko
*Please click here to read why the charge of “indecent assault” can be translated differently and what it means exactly.
**Later reports say the incident took place in late July, but there is no exact confirmation from police so far.