The former idol who accused ZEST‘s Choi Go of raping her has been sentenced to jail.
Back in 2015, ZEST’s Choi Go was accused of raping his ex-girlfriend, which caused the group to postpone all of their promotions. Today, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced the accuser to 2 years in prison suspended 6 months. This means that if she does not commit any crime in the 6 months, her sentence will be waived.
The accuser was mentioned to be a former girl group member who debuted in 2011 and had the family name Son.
ZEST’s Choi Go held an interview following the sentencing.
“At first I thought ‘let’s stay quiet when my innocence is announced.’ I’d rather not bring back the memories that seemed to have escaped people’s minds. But I also felt like I had to do something. I wanted to shout out that it wasn’t true after people thoughtlessly attacked me. I wanted to be honest with the people around me. There are many people who abuse other’s emotions. The victims live in hiding while the perpetrators live well. More than anything, my parent’s came to mind. They said ‘we don’t want our son to be known as a rapist.’ This is why I held out until the end.”
— ZEST‘s Choi Go
He also had a message for both his group members and his fans, saying,
“I am so sorry to you all. Being with the members was like I was living with another family. The group gave a huge sense of fulfillment and I am so thankful for their existence. But because of me, they did not do well. I felt so sorry to my fans when the first articles about the rape were published. I wanted to tell each and every one of them that it wasn’t true. The fans who have been following my case on the internet have been leaving me supportive comments on my SNS profiles. Those gave me so much strength.”
— ZEST‘s Choi Go
