Former B.A.P member Himchan sentenced 10 months in prison for sexual assault case

▲ This file photo shows former B.A.P member Himchan heading to the court in 2019. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- The Seoul Central District Court finalized a sentence of 10 months in prison, as well as 40 hours of sexual violence education courses, for former B.A.P member Himchan, who was indicted on charges of sexual harassment.

In April 2020, Himchan was indicted for sexually assaulting a woman in her 20s, whose identity has been withheld, at a villa in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, early in the morning of Jul. 24, 2018. At the time of the incident, three men and three women, including Himchan and his acquaintances, were drinking, and police officers were dispatched to the scene due to the victim’s report.

Throughout his first trial, Himchan insisted that there was no force involved and that all sexual activities took place with mutual consent, avoiding his court arrest. However, in the second trial, the court decided to uphold the initial ruling given to his case and arrested him in court as there was fear of escaping and destroying evidence.

The court ruled, “The defendant appeared to be admitting to his charges during his appeal and made a criminal deposit of 20 million KRW for the victim,” adding, “Considering the humiliation the victim would have to endure and the fact that the victim petitioned for severe punishment, the defendant’s prison sentence is inevitable.”

Just before his arrest, the court gave Himchan a chance to speak, saying, “If you have anything to say, you may.” However, Himchan replied with a “No.”

B.A.P, a South Korean boy band that made its debut in 2012, was disbanded following the two members leaving the group in August of 2018 and the remaining members’ exclusive contract with the agency coming to an end the following year.

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved