On June 27, 4 out of 5 individuals facing charges of group sexual assault including Jung Joon Young, former F.T. Island member Choi Jonghun, and more as well as their legal representatives attended a joint hearing, ahead of the court's official trial.
Currently, Jung Joon Young and Choi Jonghun face charges of rape. An alleged older brother of a female idol, Kwon, as well as another male 'A', both face charges of sexual assault. Finally, another male 'B' faces charges of attempted rape. The 5 individuals were all present during a group sexual assault incident in January of 2016 in Hongchun, as well as in March of 2016 in Daegu. Among the 5 individuals, only Kwon was not present for this latest hearing.
First, Jung Joon Young's legal rep stated, "The defendant admits to sexual relations with the victim, but there was no planned crime with the other defendants. In addition, the victim was never in a state of unconsciousness or in a state where she could not resist. The sexual relation occurred under consent."
On the other hand, Jonghun's legal rep revealed a different stance, saying, "Because the incident took place 3 years ago, the defendant's memories are unclear, but he admits to being in the same building at the time of the incident. However, the defendant only remained in the veranda of the building, and according to his memory, he did not have any physical contact with the victim such as sexual intercourse, kissing, or hugging. Even if there was sexual intercourse, looking at the details surrounding the victim's reason for attending this outing as well as various Kakao messages exchanged, it can be determined that there was no action taken without consent from the victim."
Meanwhile, Kwon's legal rep claimed that despite the existence of footage related to the incident, the victim is not in a state in which she cannot resist physically or mentally, and as a result, the defendant denies his accusations of attempted rape. Finally, both 'A' and 'B's legal reps also revealed that their defendants do not admit to most of their accusations.
After listening to the defendants' testimonies, the court will be opening a hearing soon in order to hear the testimony of the victim, before moving forward with the trial.
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