A's side, a member of the group Maid in, claimed to have been a victim of sexual assault by B, the representative of their agency, and has announced a press conference.

On the 28th, the Hanbit Media Labor Rights Center (hereinafter 'Hanbit Center') announced that a press conference to file a complaint against B, the representative of Maid in's agency 143 Entertainment, for sexual assault will be held with A's mother in the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions conference room in Jung-gu, Seoul at 10 a.m. on the 29th.

The Hanbit Center noted, "The victim's mother is scheduled to attend the press conference, where an explanation of the circumstances surrounding the sexual assault case and a demand for an official apology from 143 Entertainment and the expulsion of the perpetrator will be made." They added, "In October 2024, B, the founder and representative producer of 143 Entertainment, summoned a member of the agency's idol group to his office and subjected them to three hours of verbal abuse and threats, followed by sexual harassment and degrading sexual remarks. At the time, the victim was under 19, a minor protected under the Child and Youth Protection Act."

They continued, "B, the representative of 143 Entertainment, acknowledged his wrongdoing immediately after the incident and promised to step back from his position to separate his space from the victim. However, he soon denied the facts, failed to keep his promise, and tarnished the victim's reputation with distorted words. In addition, 143 Entertainment falsely dismissed the facts of B's assault as baseless and expelled the victim from the group without any notification."

The Hanbit Center emphasized, "The actions and words of B, the representative of 143 Entertainment, which shifted the responsibility onto the victim, have caused immense suffering for the victim and their parents over the past six months. Despite these events, the victim's desire to continue activities was thwarted by 143 Entertainment's unilateral expulsion," adding, "We aim to clarify the facts, publicize this, restore the victim's tarnished reputation, and alleviate the mental pain the victim is experiencing."

Full statement from the Hanbit Media Labor Rights Center

The Hanbit Center will hold a press conference tomorrow (29th) at 10 a.m. in the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions conference room regarding the sexual assault case against B, the representative of 143 Entertainment (hereinafter '143 Entertainment'). The victim's mother is scheduled to attend, and there will be a demand for an explanation of the circumstances surrounding the sexual assault and an official apology from 143 Entertainment.

In October 2024, B, the founder and representative producer of 143 Entertainment, summoned a member of the agency’s idol group to his office and subjected them to three hours of verbal abuse and threats, followed by sexual harassment and degrading sexual remarks. At the time, the victim was under 19, a minor protected under the Child and Youth Protection Act.

B, the representative of 143 Entertainment, acknowledged his wrongdoing immediately after the incident and promised to separate from the victim, but soon denied the facts, failed to keep his promise, and tarnished the victim's reputation with distorted statements. In addition, 143 Entertainment falsely dismissed the facts of B's assault and expelled the victim from the group without any notification.

Rather, the actions of B, the representative of 143 Entertainment, which shifted the responsibility onto the victim, have caused immense suffering for the victim and their parents over the past six months. Despite such incidents, the victim's desire to continue activities was thwarted by 143 Entertainment's unilateral expulsion. The irrational and unfair measures taken by 143 Entertainment have inflicted significant damage on the victim, who can no longer maintain their exclusive contract; however, 143 Entertainment continues to claim the victim's responsibility.

The victim's dream of continuing to perform has collapsed, and the facts of B's assault remain hidden. 143 Entertainment is blocking the victim's future by insisting on maintaining the exclusive contract. The still-young victim is going through a difficult time that is hard to bear.

We wish to clarify the facts and publicize this to restore the victim's tarnished reputation and alleviate some of the mental pain the victim is experiencing. In relation to this, we intend to explicitly state the facts of the assault at the press conference and correct the distorted information. We ask for extensive coverage and attention.

Furthermore, the report published last November without the victim's consent stating that 'the victim brought a boyfriend to the residence' is completely false and is merely a one-sided distortion from the perpetrator's side, unrelated to the essence of the incident. We request special attention to ensure that such distorted facts are not mentioned again, causing deep wounds to the victim. Additionally, we sincerely ask that the victim not be sensationalized through the use of photos and videos in related reports.

[Photo] OSEN DB

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