4th Gen Boy Group Member Cleared Of Sexual Assault Allegations

OMEGA X member Hwichan has been cleared of the sexual assault allegations raised by the former CEO of the group’s previous agency.

On the December 16 broadcast of JTBC’s Incident Chief, Hwichan shared his feelings about the investigation process.

“From the police investigation stage, I already felt like I had been labeled a criminal. It was so unfair, and it felt like my life was over.”

Regarding the incident, he claimed that physical contact was forced on him.

“We were alone, and the verbal abuse and threats continued. I refused, but physical contact was forced on me. I was so scared and humiliated that I ran away. That person called herself ‘Mom’ and forced affectionate behavior, repeatedly asking, ‘Do you want to quit being a celebrity?’ Honestly, it was disgusting.”

Despite this, his previous agency CEO had tried to charge him for sexual assualt. On December 10, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office dismissed the case, issuing a non-indictment due to insufficient evidence. In the decision, prosecutors stated that the CCTV videos submitted by the accuser were edited clips of only 6, 9, and 11 seconds, not the original full footage. They determined that “based on those clips alone, it is difficult to conclude that the accused forcibly assaulted the complainant.”

Prosecutors also noted that they requested the full original footage during the investigation, but the accuser did not comply. The employee who edited the video also repeatedly failed to respond to summons.

Citing past injunction documents and arbitration rulings from the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board related to OMEGA X, prosecutors acknowledged that the accuser had used strong verbal abuse and profanity toward the members, leaving them psychologically intimidated.

“Even from the CCTV clips alone, we cannot rule out the possibility that the actions were performed under the complainant’s demands or pressure.”

Hwichan and his current agency IPQ are considering legal action for false accusations.

“The prosecution has issued a ‘no charges’ decision, concluding the case. Hwichan has suffered severe social stigma and emotional distress for a long time due to accusations that were not true. We hope that distorted claims and malicious allegations do not continue to be repeated.”