[HanCinema's News] Police Decline to Prosecute Harassment and Bullying in the Case of Lee Hyunjoo

On February 23rd an attorney representing the interests of actress and singer Lee Hyunjoo announced that police had closed their investigation into whether Lee Hyunjoo or her family were involved in criminal bullying, stating they had not found sufficient evidence to prosecute. The police had the names of two friends involved in alleged incidents that had been posted online. The conclusion of the police was that the rumors in question were false.

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The source of the rumors was a post in February from Lee Hyunjoo's brother on the portal comment site Nate stating that Lee Hyunjoo left APRIL because she had suffered extreme bullying and harassment in their living quarters. Other persons associated with Lee Hyunjoo either as team members or fellow trainees wrote comments in support of these claims. Fellow APRIL member Kim Chae-won posted a video refuting the allegations that can be seen here. English subtitles are available for the video.

At the time the allegations first became public Lee Hyunjoo's agency stated that who was the instigator and who was the victim in these incidents was unknowable. They appeared to deny the tone but not the substance of the fights described in the comments. Because APRIL and Lee Hyunjoo both had their interests represented by DSP Media, Lee Hyunjoo had to seek outside representation to find a proper advocate for her interests.

The decision by police to not prosecute appears to vindicate the original position of the agency. However, this same ambiguous situation is such that police are also declining to prosecute Lee Hyunjoo's brother or any other supporting commenters for defamation. APRIL disbanded on January 23rd, following a year-long break, prompting discussion as to why the K-pop group had called it quits.

Written by William Schwartz