Former AOA member Kwon Mina’s sexual assault case sent to prosecution for investigation
CONTENT WARNING - Mentions of rape, sexual assault, mental health issues, and suicide
The scandals involving Kwon Min-ah (mononymously known as Mina), a former member of the K-pop girl group AOA, do not seem to end. In 2020, she accused former bandmate Shin Ji-min of bullying her for over a decade and claimed that it led her to attempt suicide and also revealed it to be the reason for her departure from the group in 2019. Ji-min, however, vehemently denied the allegations and soon retired from the Entertainment industry, leaving the controversy around the bully with no resolution.
And in September 2021, Kwon Mina was in news again after she publicly accused a man in his 20s of sexual assault. Some reports also suggest that the alleged male was a celebrity who is married and has three children. The case had immediately been picked up by The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency and almost two months after the initial announcement, there is an update to the situation. It has been reported as of December 2 that Kwon Mina’s case has been sent to the prosecution after a complete and detailed investigation into the sexual assault of the former K-pop girl. If proven guilty, the accused may be sentenced to life in prison.
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After Mina shared the horrific sexual assault incident and lodged a formal complaint with the Police Department in Busan, where she is originally from, the officials conducted a multifaceted investigation into the suspect, including those around him, and found him to be a man in his 20s. The accused has now been charged with rape and injury and an official from the Investigation Unit said, “A lot of time passed and since the victim said the crime was in 2007, it was difficult to prove the charges. The accused has been proven guilty by convicting him on the charges against him and on the basis of the people around him, including his acquaintances from that time (2007).”
After this update, Mina took to her Instagram account to post a short message to fans to thank them for their support. She said, “The damage that happened in Busan when I was in middle school was a lot for me but I was helped by a lot of my friends, older brothers, and sisters around me. I also brought out my memories and witnesses from back then and submitted a lot of evidence that will help prove him guilty.” Mina continued, "The statute of limitations is until 2023, and I honestly don't expect what will happen. I am now just waiting to see what kind of judgment the higher authorities will make. I hope he receives the punishment he deserves.”
What happened with AOA's Kwon Mina?
Initially, during her long Instagram Live, Mina revealed how she has been sexually assaulted for years since she was 14 and had kept the incident a secret for a long time. Mina wrote a lengthy post (now deleted) to fans on her Instagram that detailed the entire incident and presented her story. She said, “I was beaten with a beer bottle for over 4 hours,” which is when a male student from her middle school started assaulting her. She said that during the first year of her middle school the male student had hit her all over her body except for the face which she would have forgiven him for had it ended at that.
Mina went on to add that she had been raped by the accused man who is now married and a father of three, living his life peacefully while she suffers mentally still. As soon as Mina spoke about the assault, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency launched a formal investigation for the idol. Mina broke down during her appearance on the YouTube channel, 점점tv (Jum Jum TV) show, ‘Blessed Show’ where she also talked about AOA’s Ji-min, her poor mental health that urged her to end her life multiple times.
On the show, she had also alleged that he father had physically assaulted her and her mother. Since her revelations caused a lot of concern among fans, as of October 2021, Mina has officially left her acting agency, Woori Actors to focus on her mental health.