A Japanese woman who caused controversy last year for ‘surprise kissing’ BTS member Jin has been booked on sexual harassment charges.

According to the Songpa Police Station in Seoul on the 27th, they recently booked a Japanese woman in her 50s, Ms. A, on charges of public harassment under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act and summoned her to appear.

Ms. A previously attended Jin‘s fan meeting held at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul in June of last year, and when it was her turn to hug 1,000 people, she gave Jin a surprise kiss, sparking controversy over sexual harassment.

At the time, Ms. A was criticized for posting on her SNS, “His lips touched my neck. His skin was very soft.”

When this fact became known, a netizen reported A through the People’s Complaints Board, and the police, in cooperation with Japan‘s Interpol, identified A and filed a case last month.

The police also requested A to appear in court, but the person in question is reportedly not complying.

The police are currently reviewing the method and timing of the investigation into Jin as a victim.



The police are also reportedly considering investigating Kim as a victim.

The police filed a criminal case against a Japanese woman in her 50s who gave BTS member Jin (real name Kim Seok-jin, 33) a ‘surprise kiss’ at a fan meeting event in June of last year, and requested her presence in court about 7 months after the incident. The police are currently reviewing the method and timing of the victim investigation into Jin.

According to our newspaper’s coverage, the Songpa Police Station in Seoul booked the woman in question for allegedly giving Jin a surprise kiss (sexual assault in a crowded place) at the end of last month and summoned her early this month. The suspect, who currently resides in Japan, is said to have yet to give a definitive response to the police summons.

On the afternoon of June 13 last year, Jin attended a ‘Hug event’ where he hugged around 1,000 fans for about 3 hours at the ‘2024 FESTA’ held at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul. It was an event held to commemorate the 11th anniversary of BTS‘s debut, just one day after Jin was discharged from the army as a sergeant.

It was at this event that a ‘sexual harassment controversy’ arose when a fan suddenly kissed Jin on the cheek. In fact, Jin was captured making an awkward expression while trying to avoid the victim.

On June 14th of last year, the day after the incident, a petition was filed through the People’s Daily asking for punishment for the fan who gave Jin a surprise kiss. Afterwards, the police began an investigation. Rumors that the perpetrator was a Japanese woman also spread on social media. This is because a user of X (formerly Twitter) posted a captured photo from a Japanese blog, and the woman who appeared to be the owner of the blog wrote about the situation at the time, “Her lips touched my neck. Her skin was very soft.”

In response, the police sent an email to the Japanese blog in June of last year asking for the personal information of the user who posted this, but did not receive any response. After that, in July of last year, the police requested international cooperation investigation from Interpol Japan through the National Police Agency, and identified the suspect after about 7 months.

Accordingly, the Songpa Police Station in Seoul has filed a case against Japanese suspect A, a woman in her 50s, and has even requested her presence. The police are currently waiting for the suspect‘s response.

The police are expected to investigate the victim, Jin. A police official stated, “We are currently reviewing the method and timing of the investigation into Jin as a victim, not as a witness.”


Reporter Lee Jeong-yeon annjoy@donga.com

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