In one of the most well-known spycam scandals in South Korea, former K-pop artist Jung Joon-young was sentenced to five years in prison for gang rape and illegal filming. On Tuesday, he was released from prison.
In addition to being found guilty of recording himself having intercourse with other women without their knowledge and sharing the video without their permission, Jung was also found guilty of rape on two separate occasions in 2016.
Spycam videos, also called "molka" in Korean, are usually created by men who clandestinely record women in public places like restrooms and schools, though the term can also refer to covertly recorded footage of consensual sex.
When thousands of women demonstrated in the capital Seoul in 2018 with the slogan "My life is not your porn," it was during the height of a local #MeToo movement. Jung's case was one of several high-profile sex scandals involving male celebrities.
After it was discovered that Seungri, a well-known K-pop artist and former member of BIGBANG, had viewed Jung's videos, she was found guilty on several counts connected to a drug and sex scandal at his "Burning Sun" nightclub.
The 35-year-old Jung left the Mokpo prison, located about 350 kilometers (218 miles) south of Seoul, early on Tuesday without speaking to the waiting media. He was dressed in a black hat and mask, according to the News1 agency.
Before the spycam controversy surfaced in early 2019, Jung had a string of solo hits and gained notoriety in 2012 after placing third in the talent competition "Super Star K." He also announced his retirement from the entertainment industry.
He claimed to have "committed crimes that cannot be forgiven" at the time, but the rape allegations had not yet surfaced.
Goo Hara, a former member of the girl group Kara, committed suicide in 2019 after her ex-boyfriend blackmailed her over "revenge porn."
Hwang Ui-jo, a football player for South Korea's national team, is presently being investigated for allegedly filming sexual encounters without permission.
Hwang, who is presently playing for Turkish club Alanyaspor on loan from Nottingham Forest, disputes the accusations.
