Former B.A.P Member Himchan is being investigated for sexual assault, again.
On May 26, it was reported that Himchan has been accused of sexually assaulting two women. This is unrelated to the court case of the sexual assault trial he’s currently appealing, the one where he admitted to sexual assault four years after continuous denial.
According to media reports, Himchan assaulted the two women outside a staircase of a bar in Hannam-Dong, Seoul. The two women reported the assault to the police within hours after it happened. Its reported one of the victims is a foreigner.
According to the victim’s testimony, they first saw him while waiting for food outside of a restaurant. They allege that he took the phone from one of them and when asked to return it, he grabbed the waist of one of the victims and asked her to go upstairs with him. The other victim alleges he touched her breast. They also allege he was drunk.
The police are currently investigating the situation and have obtained CCTV footage of the incident, they are also in the process of interviewing employees and any potential witnesses.
However, Himchan’s lawyer refuted the allegations and said that while there was physical contact, the nature of it wasn’t sexual. His lawyer alleges the CCTV footage clearly shows that, adding that the physical contact occurred ‘out of fear for their safety.’
They explain that by alleging that the three were standing in a cramped stairway when another customer entered by opening a door, for their safety, there was inevitable physical contact with one of the victim’s waist. The lawyer said, ‘if she felt uncomfortable with it, we’d like to apologize.’
Himchan’s lawyer denies he touched the other woman’s breast,
“There was no contact with the other victim’s breast. However, there was physical contact due to similar reasons. There weren’t any sexual intentions.”
In regards to his other sexual assault case, the court sentenced him to 10 months in prison in February of 2021. He was charged and convicted of committing an indecent act by compulsion against a woman in her twenties in July of 2018. He was ordered to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program. In March 2021, he filed for an appeal. He is scheduled to attend a second appeal trial hearing in June.
In June of 2021, Himchan reportedly attempted suicide after posting a lengthy apology letter reflecting on his past wrongdoings in regards to his sexual assault charges and DUI.
Source: (A)
