Kim Woojin of Stray Kids Responds to Sexual Harassment Allegations
Kim Woojin became famous as a member of Stray Kids. After he left one of the most famous K-pop groups, two anonymous Twitter users accused him of sexual misconduct. Woojin responded to the allegations, as did his managing agency. Here are the details of the Kim Woojin scandal.
The 1st sexual harassment allegation against Kim Woojin
The South China Morning Post reported a social media user said she met Kim Woojin in Seoul, where he inappropriately and non-consensually touched her. Initially, the user did not make it clear who had allegedly mistreated her. The user later referred to the accused as “Woo” and added he worked for a Korean entertainment company.
“I really want all his fans to know what type of person he is, but I am not famous so I cannot say anything,” she said. “People will blame it on us because we were in a bar recently and we knew it was wrong because of the virus, but he was also there.”
Woojin dismissed her claims, noting the allegation included no time, date, or location.
However, the second allegation contained a date and location.
The 2nd allegation in the Kim Woojin scandal
According to Teen Vogue, another anonymous Twitter user said Kim Woojin harassed them on April 29, 2020. The user posted an image of a bottle of whiskey the K-pop star had allegedly bought for them.
In addition, the Twitter user posted a photo showing what they said was the former Stray Kids member’s hoodie. He wore a sweatshirt with similar colors in a selfie posted on April 29, but it was not a hoodie. The user said they took the photo at 2:16 a.m.
The former Stray Kids member responded to the allegations
“I didn’t take it seriously when the issue first came up because it’s not true at all,” Woojin told the South China Morning Post. “I knew that Twitter users often make up stories, but I was shocked that my case was spreading way faster than any of the other rumors.”
In addition, the former Stray Kids singer apologized to his fans, but not for any sexual misconduct.
“I’m sorry for my fans who must have been confused by this issue, and I will try to be more cautious when I confront this kind of situation again,” Woojin said. “It’s very disappointing that this situation came up when I was working hard to meet my fans again. I’ve been having a really hard time during the past few weeks.”
Kim Woojin’s managing agency posted photos
Kim Woojin’s managing agency, 10x Entertainment, responded to the allegations with the following statement:
“We are planning to take legal action against the false accusations made against Kim Woojin, [and] we reveal photographic evidence to avoid any misunderstanding that fans may have.”
In addition, 10x Entertainment posted a screenshot from Woojin’s phone. The screenshot showed he took the photo of himself in a sweatshirt on March 10, 2020, not the day his accuser said he was wearing the sweatshirt.
10x Entertainment also published a photo of Woojin allegedly taken at his home an hour before his second accuser said they had interacted with him.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
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