Sexual Assault Allegations

[Anchor Lead]

Singer Kim Heung-kook has been accused of sexual assault. He showed up for police questioning Thursday evening. The stern-looking Kim flatly denied all of the allegations, claiming that maligning forces are at work.

[Pkg]

Veteran singer Kim Heung-kook showed up at a police station yesterday evening for questioning. He is accused of sexual assault. When faced with reporters, Kim denied all allegations, claiming that this is "not part of the Me-too movement or sexual assault."

[Soundbite] Kim Heung-kook(Singer) : "I have lots of evidence and witnesses. I think there are forces attempting to malign."

Last month a woman in her thirties, known only as Ms. A, told the press that Kim had raped her twice at a hotel in Gwangjin-gu District in Seoul in late 2016. The singer immediately denied all accusations and counter-charged her for false accusation and blackmail, claiming that she had demanded him to pay up. Testimonies from Kim and the female accuser are conflicting, as surveillance footage from the hotel where the attacks allegedly took place has already been deleted and the text messages between the two can be interpreted in different ways. In a briefing with the media, the attorney for the plaintiff is planning to present more evidence. The police, having finished questioning the woman last week, plans to probe more into conflicting statements before deciding on how to proceed with the investigation.