Japanese Woman Indicted for Sexual Harassment Over "Surprise Kiss" on BTS Jin Fails to Appear in Court

Trial Held 14 Months After Indictment
Postponed to 11 a.m. on the 16th

The first trial for a Japanese woman in her 50s indicted on charges of sexual harassment for "surprise kissing" Jin, a member of the group BTS, did not take place because she failed to appear in court.

A 50-year-old Japanese female fan giving a surprise kiss to BTS member Jin. X capture.

According to Yonhap News Agency, on July 14, Judge Lee Jimin, presiding judge at the Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 9, had scheduled the first hearing for Ms. M, a Japanese woman in her 50s accused of forcible molestation. However, the proceeding was stalled due to Ms. M's absence.

Judge Lee stated, "The defendant submitted a written document by mail, but it is not clear what she means," adding, "There is another hearing scheduled at 11 a.m. on the 16th, so today's session will be postponed."

Ms. M is accused of kissing Jin on the cheek during a "hug event" with 1,000 fans at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Songpa-gu on June 13, 2024, the day after Jin completed his military service. The act sparked a "sexual harassment controversy," as Jin appeared visibly uncomfortable and embarrassed at the time.

Especially, after the event, Ms. M fueled fans' anger by writing on her blog, "(Jin's) neck touched my lips" and "His skin was very soft." Subsequently, Jin's fans filed a complaint, urging an investigation into her conduct for molestation in a public crowded place.

The complainant, referred to as Mr. A, stated through an online fan community, "There were news reports that, while Jin held an offline fan meeting to celebrate his discharge from the military and hugged 1,000 fans, some fans attempted sexual harassment, sparking controversy. As a fan who regularly enjoys BTS's music, I could not help but feel furious," adding, "I strongly urge a prompt investigation and strict punishment for fans who sexually harassed Jin, charging them under Article 11 of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, for indecent acts in a crowded public place."

Police, through Interpol cooperation, identified Ms. M's identity, but as she returned to Japan, the investigation was expected to take considerable time. Therefore, in March of last year, the investigation was suspended. Afterwards, Ms. M re-entered Korea and voluntarily appeared for questioning, leading the police to refer her to the prosecutor's office in May of the same year. The prosecution indicted her in November.

Japanese commercial broadcaster TBS News reported in November last year that Japanese national Ms. M had been indicted in Korea for forcible molestation and quoted her as saying, "I feel mortified. I didn't think this would be considered a crime."

Meanwhile, it is known that in the case of defendants with foreign nationality, trial schedules are typically set about half a year after indictment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.