The investigation into the incident involving a Japanese woman who unexpectedly kissed BTS member Jin was halted.
The incident happened last year when the BTS member held a huge event. On June 13, 2024, this event was held to celebrate BTS’ 11th debut anniversary and Jin took the stage, being the only member who had completed military service at the time.
As part of the event, he hugged 1000 lucky ARMYs, however, a fan forcibly kissed her when it was her turn to hug the global pop star. It sparked outrage and BTS fans demanded quick action against the sexual harassment.
A viral video showed Jin looking uncomfortable and flustered. The Japanese woman also shared a blog post detailing that Jin’s lips touched her neck and described his skin as “very soft.”
As a result, the police investigation started on June 14, 2023. This investigation was initiated after a report was filed through the National Civil Service. Authorities were able to identify the suspect after seven months of collaborative investigation with Interpol. This collaborative investigation began in July 2024.
A Japanese woman in her 50s was identified as the suspect, who faced charges of assault under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act. She was summoned by the police last month, and it was reported that Jin might also be summoned as the victim.
The Songpa Police Station in Seoul announced that they had requested her to appear as a suspect, but ultimately concluded that the investigation would require considerable time and resources.
According to police regulations, an investigation can be put on hold if the suspect’s location is unknown or if they have been abroad for over two months. In this case, the police initiated an investigation against the Japanese woman in January and subsequently requested her to appear for questioning in February.
During the investigation, police discovered evidence of another woman assaulting Jin, but were unable to find her. According to a police official, the investigation will resume once Person A is located and appears for questioning.
Meanwhile, Jin returned to the spotlight as a civilian in June 2023 and made his comeback with his debut EP “Happy” in November.
