A third K-pop idol announced his exit from the industry this week amid a spiraling scandal that began from the exposé of an alleged prostitution scheme and spy porn sharing in group conversations.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, Yong Jun-hyung, 29, confessed that he had watched a video of fellow star Jung Joon-young, who previously admitted to filming himself having sex with women without their consent.
“In the KakaoTalk messages with Jung Joon Young from late 2015 reported by the news, we drank the night before and went home, and I asked him how he is doing the next day. Jung Joon Young told me that he got caught after sending illegal video footage to someone, and I responded, ‘You got caught by her?’ I did not receive a video at the time, but I did receive a video at a different instance,” Yong wrote, according to Soompi.
“In addition, I participated in inappropriate conversations regarding it. All of these actions were very immoral, and I was foolish. I treated it as not a big deal without thinking that it is a crime and illegal act, and it is also my fault for not firmly restraining [Jung Joon Young].”
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Jung, who announced his retirement on Wednesday, shared the videos in a chatroom that included BIGBANG’s Seungri, who is accused of supplying prostitutes to wealthy investors in 2015.
Jung was booked on March 12, while Seungri — who denied allegations — was booked on March 10.
Yong maintained that he did not participate in taking any spy cam video and circulating it afterward. He added that he had only greeted Jung “once in a while” since late 2016.
“I am very sorry to have not been able to repay the overwhelming love and as I betrayed the trust of the members and fans who have trusted me due to this issue. I realize the severity of this matter, and I do not want any further harm to be done to my fans and members who must have been disappointed because of me, so I will leave the group Highlight as of March 14, 2019. I will live while reflecting on myself again and again. I once again apologize sincerely.”
Shortly after Yong’s announcement, his management label, Around Us Entertainment, released a statement clarifying details and confirming his departure (translation via Allkpop):
“Some time at the end of 2015, Yong Junhyung met Jung Joon Young at a drinking gathering. The next day, while contacting each other 1:1 via Kakao Talk, he was informed that Jung Joon Young filmed illegal, hidden camera footage. Afterward, Junhyung admitted that he viewed this hidden camera footage, and he and Jung Joon Young went on to exchange inappropriate remarks about the footage.
“Even when Junhyung became involved in an unfavorable scandal, we were unable to obtain the clear facts right away and released a hasty statement, causing confusion; for this, we apologize. We will take caution so that such incidents do not occur again. We apologize one more time to fans who cherish Highlight.”
Featured Images via Instagram / @bigbadboii
