Warning: This film includes descriptions some viewers may find distressing.

A #BBCEye investigation into three Kpop stars who were sharing evidence of sexual crimes in secret chat groups.

UPDATE: The BBC has removed a short section of this film on 21/05/24 as it contained a factual inaccuracy: It wrongly attributed legal advice given to victim ‘Kyungmi’ as from a lawyer from broadcaster KBS, when in reality it was advice from a different lawyer.

Click here to subscribe to our channel https://bbc.in/3VyyriM

In South Korea, Kpop stars have fame, fortune and millions of female fans. But some led a double life, inhabiting a hidden world where videos of women being drugged, assaulted and humiliated were shared. This #BBCEye documentary tells the story of the female journalists who took on the task of investigating the secret chat groups of prominent Kpop stars and paid a high personal price.

‘Molka’ is the Korean term for secretly taking explicit photos or videos without consent. It’s a crime that’s increased elevenfold in the last fifteen years in South Korea. Three friends, all successful Kpop stars, were sharing images in which unconscious women were sexually assaulted. Some of the messages contained evidence that two of the stars, Jung Joonyoung and Choi Jonghoon had subjected a woman to extreme sexual violence.

Their crimes would never have been discovered had the phone data of Jung Joonyoung not been leaked. The information eventually ended up in the hands of Korean journalist Kang Kyungyoon, who began a painstaking process of verifying hundreds of explicit photos and videos. The scandal also involved a top Gangnam club, Burning Sun, where another of the friends, Big Bang star Seungri, was a DJ and CEO. Women were being drugged inside the nightclub, and sexually assaulted by men attending the club. Kang and fellowjournalist Park tell the story of their investigation and how they became the targets for exposing the stars.

00:00 Intro
02:48 What is 'molka'?
03:40 Jung Joonyoung accused of molka
08:13 The data leak
10:09 Meet Choi Jonghoon and Seungri
11:11 Global investment in the business plan
12:49 A pattern of exploitation
17:58 Gangnam nightlife and the business of assault
20:44 The cost of reporting
22:43 The VIP client experience
32:32 The 'dark fortress' a secretive space
33:49 The red bathroom
37:37 The lawyer meets the journalists
39:54 Hara assists the investigation
42:33 The senior police contact
45:38 Accountability and arrests
47:27 More victims come forward
49:12 Women protest for further protection
50:52 Hara's personal crisis
53:58 The sentencing
55:48 The future of Sex and Power

Watch this documentary in KOREAN here: https://bbc.in/3WQVFDg , in MANDARIN here: https://bbc.in/4ayps78 and in THAI here:    • Burning Sun: เปิดโปงแชทฉาววงการเคป็อ...  

Listen to the podcast series "Intrigue: Burning sun" here: https://bbc.in/4dUejQL

To watch more investigative journalism from our awardwinning BBC Eye team check out this documentary playlist:    • All BBC World Service Documentaries  

Credits:
Head of Longform Liz Gibbons
Editor BBC Investigations Marc Perkins
Executive Producers Monica Garnsey, Mustafa Khalili, Kavita Puri
Produced and Directed by Kai Lawrence
Director Of Photography Kai Lawrence
Film Editors Kai Lawrence, JeongOne Park, Renee Edwards BFE
Narrator Kate Fleetwood
Assistant Editors: Douglas BunnageFlavell, Ali Turab Qazi
Additional Research Loonie Park, Shuyue Ren
Original Music Jason Luxton
Lighting Cameraman Nils Clauss
Graphic Designer Douglas McGinness
Colourist Michael Sanders
Online Editor Dominic McMahon
Dubbing Mixer Ross Millership
Executive Producers, Impact Charlotte Hayward, Vara Szajkowski
Impact Producers Baya Cat, Rajni Boddington, Alison Gee, Anusha Kumar, Bethany Rose, Emaan Warraich, Kulwant Sohal
Assistant Producers Leehyun Choi, Jinny Yeon, Bugyeong Jung, Sinae Hong, Kwon Moon, Keith Park, Max Kim
Associate Producer Chloe Hadjimatheou
Production Executive Nayantara Gauba
Production Managers Suzanne Luu, Jessica Butler, Dawn Macdonald, Kate Moore
Production Management Assistant Catia Da Costa
Production Coordinators Liza Hodgson, Siobhan Reed, Sameer Hussain, Shima Mashhoor
Archive Sources MBC, KBS, Yonhap News, YG Entertainment, Mnet, YTN, Voice For The People, Kukmin, Ilbo, Korean’s Women Hotline, News1, JTBC, Marie Claire Korea, Dispatch
Voice Actors Jeni Seo, Jun Noh, Taeho Kim
Special thanks to Kevin Kim, Pyo Kisik, Lee SeungWoo


This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel.

Instagram   / bbcworldservice  
Twitter   / bbcworldservice  
Facebook   / bbcworldservice  
BBC World Service website https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio

Thanks for watching and subscribing!
#BBCWorldService #WorldService #BBCEye #SouthKorea #Kpop #kpopedit