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Ex-B.A.P star Himchan guilty of sexual assault, fans wonder why he admitted after 4 years

Some K-pop fans had defended him in the past as he had claimed it was consensual and also continued his music career

Trigger warning - sexual assault, attempted suicide

Former B.A.P member, Himchan has finally been found guilty after he admitted to all charges of sexual assault. B.A.P was one of the biggest third-gen groups in the 2010s with Himchan himself having a huge fan following. As a beloved K-pop star, when the first allegations of sexual assault cropped up in 2018, fans thought it was false since there have been trolls who have created fake rumors in the past to destroy an idol’s career.

In July 2018, the victim, a young woman in her 20s had gone on a vacation with two women and two men including Himchan at a pension house in Namyangju. She had claimed that Himchan had molested her to which the ex-B.A.P star first denied it by saying it was consensual. But due to the credibility of the victim’s statement, Himchan was first sentenced to prison for 10 months and a 40-hour treatment program in February 2021.  

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Himchan admits to all charges

Himchan filed an appeal against this decision. He also submitted a letter of apology and reflection on Instagram and had allegedly attempted suicide. Fans sent their support believing him to be innocent and hoped the scandal would die down soon. He even made his solo debut in 2020 making fans believe that the situation was soon to be resolved. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case. On April 12, at the appeal trial, held in Seoul, the former K-pop idol admitted his guilt.

Himchan has officially changed his past stance of denying all allegations as he said, “I acknowledge all charges.” He has also submitted a letter of remorse. Himchan has come to an agreement to raise enough money for a settlement with the court giving him a deadline of two months for the deposit. The next hearing will be held on June 14. Fans who had supported Himchan believing that he was innocent in the past are upset that he strung them along for so long. Many also wonder why he decided to come clean after 4 years.

‘I feel sick’

One fan tweeted, “Why now🙄why didn’t you admit it from the start🙁I feel so disappointed in him.” Another posted, “If he was to admit in the end then why did he played on his fans emotions.” A Himchan fan shared, “I dedicated YEARS to himchan. i loved him so f**king much. my tumblr url was peachyhimchan for YEARS. i made gifs, i had a bap blog dedicated to mostly him. i am seething. i feel sick to my stomach. my heart pours out to the people he's hurt. i want to SCREAM.”

Another warned, “If i see any of yall defend himchan after this....” One angry fan commented, “I can't believe it took him four years to just confess to it. I really, really thought last year that his sentencing would be the end of it. For the past four years, any time he's done or said something that drags this entire thing out, the more I loathe the amount of good memories I associate with him. I'm hoping this is the end of it and we never have to see his name again.”

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