The truth battle surrounding the forced sexual assault case of the group Omega X has entered the second round.
Former agency Spire Entertainment (hereinafter Spire) claimed on the 19th of March that member Hwichan forcibly assaulted former CEO Kang Sung Hee and released CCTV footage. In response, Omega X side claimed that he forced to engage in skinship out of fear of Kang’s retaliation, and retaliated by releasing conversation logs.
Both sides agree that the forced sexual assault incident occurred at the end of a drinking session on July 11, 2022.
Spire claimed that Kang, who was working late for tour preparations, was approached by Hwichan for a private meeting, was forcibly assaulted by him. However, IPQ side clarified that the drinking session was meant to console Kang, who was expressing dissatisfaction, and Hwichan received his draft notice in August, so there was no reason for him to discuss military enlistment-related concerns on July 11 when the incident occurred.
Spire claimed that Hwichan forcibly restrained Kang with force, undressed her, and touched a specific body part. Kang realized she couldn’t overpower Hwichan, calmed him down, and even though the issue of resignation was brought up at an executive meeting after the incident, they couldn’t crush the dreams of the other members, so Hwichan naturally decided to enlist in the military and leave the group, but he was instead portrayed as the perpetrator. Kang claimed to be suffering from severe psychological distress and even attempted extreme measures multiple times.
In the CCTV footage released by Spire, Hwichan’s actions touching Kang’s body are clearly captured.
According to IPQ, after being forced into skinship multiple times by the CEO that day, Hwichan fell asleep drunk, and President Kang took a picture of Hwichan sleeping and sent it to the manager via KakaoTalk.
In the message sent by President Kang, there was a picture of Hwichan sleeping with a red face, along with the message “I’ll wake him up and take him back first.” When the manager said, “I’ll go to the office quickly,” President Kang replied, “No, I’ll take him with me.”
According to IPQ, Kang continued to display a coercive attitude, demanding skinship and shouting for Hwichan to wake up even after he had fallen asleep.
IPQ side claimed that the members were afraid of reprisals if they didn’t comply with Kang’s excessive skinship and affectionate expressions, which could lead to being excluded from album activities or having their styling and activities restricted. They argued that Hwichan engaged in physical contact with Kang following her instructions out of fear and pressure on the day of the incident.
They also demanded the release of unedited CCTV footage of the 2nd floor meeting room and corridor where Hwichan is seen trembling with fear and running away from Kang’s abnormal behavior, as well as CCTV footage from the incident day and the following day.
Spire stated that they had been patient so far as they couldn’t let the young members be labeled as sexual offenders, but decided to take legal action as the damage became severe due to Omega X’s false claims, including turning the victim into the perpetrator. They plan to take a proactive approach to file a lawsuit accusing Hwichan of forced sexual assault.
IPQ side stated that they will not only request the investigative agency to release all CCTV footage but also take legal action against the rumors of forced sexual assault.
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