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5th generation girl group member, MADEIN‘s Gaeun, was sexually assaulted by her agency CEO when she tried to leave the group.
In the latest episode of JTBC‘s show Scandal Supervisor, they highlighted how a fifth generation girl group member was a victim of sexual assault after she asked to leave the group. The show played an audio statement recorded on October 26 from the girl group member, whose voice was altered to protect her identity.
I told him that it was my wish to leave the group after the round of activities [we were doing]. He asked that if he granted my wish, would I also grant his wish? He wanted me to be his one-day girlfriend.
He asked if he could kiss me, but then he grabbed me and forced me to kiss him. I kept my mouth shut, but he suddenly forced his tongue in and kept kissing me, he also licked my neck and ears.
I was so focused on protecting [down here] but he said to move my hands and kept touching me.
He asked ‘can I touch your breasts?’ and ‘can I feel your butt just this one time?’
I said no, but he kept doing this for two hours.
— Unnamed female Idol
She initially accepted the CEO’s offer because she thought it would be like a normal date, going to a restaurant to eat and then watching a movie. She also wanted to make sure she could continue to participate in the group’s activities until she left. But the CEO suddenly locked the office door and groped her. He would force kisses on her during the time they were watching a movie. And he refused her denial attempts to get out of the situation.
A lawyer for the agency in question initially commented on the incident, stating that it was the girl group member’s wish to continue to promote with the group and so she agreed to be his one-day girlfriend. The lawyer acknowledged that there was footage of the two in a car together, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.
However later, the CEO met with the members’ parents to confirm to them that he had indeed, made a mistake. The parents retorted back, saying it wasn’t a mistake, but intentional.
You have been watching over our children with ulterior motives. Haven’t you seen a lot of late-night movies with [female idol]?
— Members’ parents
The CEO stated he only went to the movies with her once. But the parents continued on the offensive.
If they don’t follow your orders, they’re put at extreme disadvantages. From our point-of-view, this isn’t a punishment, this is torture for our children. You realize that she is still a minor, right?
— Members’ parents
The CEO, who had initially denied all allegations by claiming things were all a misunderstanding, backtracked and began to apologize. He also promised to take responsibility by resigning from his position as CEO and to not get in contact with the members again. However, he also stated that it would be difficult to disband the group due to the company’s stakeholders and that he would continue to lead the group from behind the scenes. The agency has also argued that the language in the law makes things difficult. Under Korea’s civil law, a minor is a person 18 and younger while the Children and Youth Act defines a minor as a person 17 and younger. The agency argued that under the Children and Youth Act, the female idol involved was not a minor at the time of the incident.
Three days after meeting with the group members’ parents, they spotted the CEO watching their performance. When he was approached by the parents, he said he would leave. However, the CEO accompanied the members on their flight to Japan two days later, even sitting next to the member that he sexually assaulted. The show reported that both the victim and the other members were in shock, with the victim shaking throughout the flight in fear. Following this specific incident, the agency announced the member would be going on hiatus due to health concerns.
But the CEO kept pushing forward, gathering the members together in an attempt to brainwash them, claiming that she was both the perpetrator and the victim, and even gaslighting them.
He said ‘if this becomes public and the company closes or gets damages, do you know how much you have to pay in reparation? Do you want to continue with the group or not? Answer with an X or an O.’
Imagine how scared the members were that they answered with a triangle.
— Informant to Scandal Supervisor
The legal representative of the agency told Scandal Supervisor that the accusations made were groundless.
There was no sexual contact or sexual harassment between the member and the CEO. In fact, the member had caused discord and controversy within the group numerous times.
It is true that the CEO had hugged her and tried to comfort her when she requested to continue working with the group, but this cannot be considered sexual contact.
— Agency’s legal counsel
Finally, the member’s parents told Scandal Supervisor that what happened did indeed constitute sexual harassment and that the member in question was a victim.
While the show did not name an idol group, netizens on X were able to identify the background video that was shown during this segment, identifying it as an M! Countdown performance from rookie girl group MADEIN.
Recently, MADEIN member Gaeun deleted all of her Instagram posts and unfollowed their agency’s CEO, leaving some netizens to believe this story is about her. MADEIN debuted on September 3, 2024 and was known to the public as members Mashiro and Yeseo were previously part of Kep1er and MiU, Gaeun, and Suhye were part of Limelight. Back on November 11, 143 Entertainment announced that Gaeun would be taking a hiatus from group activities due to health concerns.
Gaeun was born on November 8, 2005. Since the phone call to Scandal Supervisor was made on October 26, 2024, the incident must have happened prior to that date. This means Gaeun was 18 years old at the time of the incident, making her a minor under Korea’s civil law. 143 Entertainment has not yet released a statement following Scandal Supervisor‘s segment.
