CELEBRITY SEXUAL ASSAULT SCANDAL

[Anchor Lead]

Actor Kang Ji-hwan was arrested six days ago on sexual assault charges and has now admitted to his crimes. Previously, he had said he was drunk and does not remember. But in a recent change of stance, Kang said he will accept his punishment and atone for his wrongdoings.

[Pkg]

Actor Kang Ji-hwan issued a statement through his lawyer admitting to all the charges against him. This comes 6 days after he was arrested late last Tuesday night. Kang said his irreparable behavior has inflicted enormous pain on the victims and that he sincerely apologizes. He said he will accept due punishment and live a life of atonement. He had claimed during previous police investigations that he was in a state of intoxication and has no memory. His change in stance is likely because of the sheer amount of evidence against him as well as a change of heart since his arrest. Other controversies related to the case may have also been a factor. For instance, his family tried to contact the victims through organizations they belonged to. When the victims declined such contact, the family is believed to have made remarks urging them to agree to a deal.

[Soundbite] PARK JI-HUN(VICTIMS' LAWYER) : "There was an attempt to contact the victims and when it failed, inappropriate phone messages were sent to the victims urging them to settle for a deal."

The victims say they also suffered secondary damage due to the spreading of unconfirmed falsehoods. Kang is expected to formally admit to the charges during police questioning while the police will conclude their investigation and handover the case to the prosecution by this week.