Regarding the sexual harassment controversy surrounding the band Na Sang-hyun, the band’s vocalist Na Sang-hyun, January’s agency has once again stated its position.

On the 2nd, January released an official statement, saying, “We apologize to those who felt confused and uncomfortable due to the recent online posts exposing our artist Na Sang Hyun.We also apologize for the delay in expressing our position on this matter due to the lack of an internal system in the agency.”

January said, “First, the artist preemptively posted a statement based on the premise of moral responsibility immediately after the report was made public, even though the facts had not been fully confirmed.This was a response that stemmed from the artist’s belief that rather than remaining silent in the face of someone’s claims of victimization, he should first apologize for the controversy that has arisen.” They continued, “After closely looking back and confirming the artist and the situation, we can state that the acts mentioned in the post are not true.” In other words, there was no sexual harassment.

January stated, “The artist was explaining the period when he was reviewing and improving his lifestyle habits during the time when his drinking increased.It was only after the statement was published that we realized that the expression could be misunderstood as an admission of the incident.We deeply apologize for the confusion and misunderstanding of the facts caused by our attempt to convey our feelings without sufficient explanation.”

In the process, they said, “Once again, we sincerely apologize to the fans who were surprised by our immature response and to the many people involved who were worried by this incident.In addition, we respectfully request that you refrain from making indiscriminate speculative comments and slander about the members of Na Sang-hyun’s band.Our company has appointed a legal representative and is currently establishing a response system.We will do our best to prevent incidents like this from happening again.”

Late last month, posts about Na Sang-hyun’s sexual harassment were spread on SNS and online communities.The writer, who is a victim, revealed Na Sang-hyun’s sexual harassment drinking habits, saying, “If there’s a woman sitting next to me at a drinking party, he’d touch her thigh while he was drunk, and if she was drunk, he’d leave his hand where it was, and if she was sober and said something, he’d be shocked and say, ‘I made a mistake.’”

In response, Na Sang-hyun admitted his mistake and made a public apology.He also expressed his intention to apologize directly to the victim.

On the 22nd, Na Sang-hyun wrote on his X(former Twitter)account, “First of all, I sincerely apologize to the writer of the post and to anyone who felt offended or uncomfortable because of my past actions.” He continued, “I hurt the writer in a situation in the past where I don’ t remember the specific circumstances after drinking.I am even more sorry that I could not apologize to you in person at the time.I would like to take this opportunity to apologize, even though it is late.I know it is late, but I would like to apologize personally even now.If you don’t mind, please send me a private message.Please refrain from causing secondary harm to the writer.”

Na Sang-hyun apologized, saying, “About 3-4 years ago, I was criticized for my drunken words and actions, and after deeply reflecting on them, I steadily tried to improve the problem with the help of those around me.I will reflect more deeply and work hard to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, and I once again apologize to the person who was offended.I also apologize to everyone who was concerned because of this.I feel even heavier than before for my actions that did not align with the values I have always thought and spoken of.I will work to create clearer standards and uphold the values I have held important through my actions.I once again apologize.”

However, the agency belatedly found out the truth about the incident and denied any sexual harassment.

● The following is the agency’s official statement on June 2nd.

Hello.This is January Co., Ltd.

We would like to apologize to those who may have felt confused and uncomfortable due to the recent online posts exposing our artist Na Sang-hyun.We also apologize for the delay in expressing our position on this matter due to the lack of an internal system in our agency.

First, immediately after the report was made public, the artist preemptively posted a statement based on moral responsibility, even though the facts had not been fully confirmed.This was a response based on the artist’s belief that, rather than remaining silent in the face of someone’s claim of damage, he should first express an apology for the controversy that had arisen.

After closely examining and confirming the artist and the situation, we can confirm that the actions mentioned in the post are not true.

Also, the time the artist mentioned was a period of time when he reviewed and improved his lifestyle habits during the period when his drinking increased.It was only after the statement was published that I realized that this expression could be misunderstood as an admission of the incident.I deeply apologize for the confusion and misunderstanding of the facts caused by my attempt to convey my feelings without sufficient explanation.

Once again, we sincerely apologize to the fans who were surprised by our immature response and to the people involved who were worried by this incident.

We also respectfully request that you refrain from making indiscriminate speculative comments and defamation against the members of Na Sang-hyun’s band.We are currently in the process of appointing a legal representative to establish a response system.We will do our best to prevent incidents like this from occurring again.

● The following is the full text of Na Sang-hyun’s public apology on May 22nd.

First of all, I would like to sincerely apologize to the author of this post and to anyone who may have felt offended or uncomfortable due to my past actions.

In the past, I hurt the writer in a situation where I don’t remember the specific circumstances after drinking.I feel even more sorry that I couldn’t apologize to you directly at that time.I apologize through this place, even though it’s late.I know it’s late, but I would like to apologize personally even now.If you don’t mind, please send me a private message.Please refrain from causing secondary harm to the writer.

About 3 or 4 years ago, I was pointed out for my drunken behavior and after reflecting deeply, I received help from people around me and tried to steadily improve the problem.I will reflect more deeply and make efforts to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, and I once again apologize to the person who was offended.

I also apologize to everyone who was concerned about this.I feel even heavier because I acted in a way that did not align with the values I have always thought and spoken of.I will make clearer standards and work hard to protect the values I have held important through my actions.I apologize once again.

Hong Se-young, reporter for Donga.com projecthong@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.