Choi Min Hwan denied allegations of soliciting prostitution.
On December 18, Choi Min Hwan took to the fan communication platform Weverse to defend himself. He wrote, "To my precious fans, 'Pri (Primadonna, F.T. Island's fandom name), whom I love most in the world, I want to write a message without any connection to my agency." He began by stating, "When you're part of a company or a group, you realize there are so many things you have to protect beyond your stance."
He continued, "I have never engaged in prostitution as reported by the media. I was cleared of charges due to insufficient evidence. How do you prove something you didn't do? That’s why I had nothing more to say, and it’s been incredibly frustrating."
Choi Min Hwan further explained, "The mention of hotels and motels in the recording was because I wanted to be alone at the time. I know it’s hard to understand if I ask people to believe me, but that’s the truth. I wish there were clear evidence to prove it, but since there isn’t, I’m sorry. I had no way to explain or defend myself."
Despite his explanation, fans questioned the audio recording that Yulhee had revealed. When one fan asked, "What does it mean to prepare two of XX and YY?" and "Can’t you book a hotel or motel by yourself?" along with, "Are you still unable to say you didn’t go to an establishment (referring to an adult entertainment venue)?" Choi Min Hwan replied, "I don’t know what XX and YY are supposed to mean, but could it be conditioner and toothbrush? It might sound silly, but I got 'a vas clip' a long time ago, so I don’t need condoms. I always ask for a toothbrush for cleanliness no matter where I go, so I don’t understand why there’s so much suspicion around it."
Choi Min Hwan's latest statement has sparked increased backlash, with Korean netizens criticizing his explanation as unacceptable.
Korean netizens responded:
"Why even bother saying something like that? It would have been better to say nothing at all. It's so pathetic and shows zero remorse."
"'Even if we go to a shirt room (a form of room salon), there won't be any girls, right?' He conveniently left that part out mentioning girls in his explanation. LOL."
"If you really want to be alone, then send the kids to Yulhee, quit FT Island, and stay alone forever."
"But honestly, the way he was desperately looking for girls in the audio recording was way too obvious. Silence would have been a better option. That explanation isn't even an explanation or a proper excuse. What even is that?"
"He says he wanted to be alone, so he went to a motel. But that explanation doesn't add up. The logic doesn’t track at all. Does he think people are stupid? LOL."
"I’m not even a fan, but I’m so embarrassed for him. Real fans must be heartbroken. He’s making excuses right up until the end, and it’s so petty."
"If you stay quiet, you’ll at least come out neutral. Does he think everyone’s a fool? The audacity to deceive people in so many ways. Why even bring up something that’s obviously not going to convince anyone?"
"Man… this is just embarrassing, seriously."
"LOL, is he a politician now? What a comedy act."
"Forget that 'Apartment, Apartment, Apartment' song. How about singing 'Girls, Girls, Girls' instead?"
"He's just a coward."
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