From/translated by Soompi/C. Hong:

On March 16, MBN reported that Jung Joon Young had been the target of an investigation about hidden camera footage from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Sophisticated Crime Investigation Unit in November 2018.

The 2018 investigation was separate from the investigation in 2016 when Jung Joon Young was accused by an ex-girlfriend of sexual assault. She later withdrew the charges.

The 2018 investigation was begun when the Sophisticated Crime Investigation Unit was tipped off by an informant. The accusation reportedly involved a number of female victims and more than one perpetrator. Moreover, it is alleged that the perpetrators coerced the female victims into sleeping with them by promising to help them find careers in the entertainment industry in exchange.

However, the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office rejected the police’s request for a search and seizure warrant for a mobile phone restoration company that reportedly had the hidden camera footage. The police were told that they needed to conduct further investigation on the company, not just the informant.

When the police went to the company, the company informed them that they had the hidden camera footage but could not release them without a warrant. The police again requested the warrant, but the prosecutor’s office refused.

It is reported that the prosecutor’s office considered the case similar to the 2016 investigation and decided that a warrant was not necessary. However, the MBN reporters pointed out that the context and the number of victims was entirely different in the 2018 case.

In March 2019, SBS had reported possible police corruption in Jung Joon Young’s 2016 investigation. According to SBS, the police officer in charge of the case had requested that the digital forensics company get rid of Jung Joon Young’s cell phone, which was key evidence in the case.

Jung Joon Young is currently under investigation for filming and sharing illegal hidden camera footage of sexual acts. The current investigation began earlier this year when reports surfaced of chatrooms between male celebrities, CEOs, and non-celebrities that solicited prostitution, shared hidden camera footage, talked about bribing police officers, and more.