K-pop boyband SHINee's Onew under investigation for sexual harassment

K-pop boyband SHINee's leader Onew.
PHOTO: NP

SOUTH KOREA (Korea Herald) - K-pop boyband SHINee's leader Onew, 27, is under investigation for sexual harassment on Saturday.

He was suspected of touching a woman, reportedly in her 20s, inappropriately at a club in Gangnam, southern Seoul, on Saturday morning. The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul announced that the singer had been booked without detention.

Onew was apprehended on the spot after a friend of the woman called the police. Police said that they have spoken to the woman, her friend and Onew, who claimed that he has no memory of the alleged incident as he was too drunk then.

SHINee's agency S.M. Entertainment issued a statement on Saturday, apologising for the incident. It said: "Onew visited the club to celebrate with his friend who had just debuted as a DJ. The incident was a misunderstanding, as Onew accidentally made physical contact with the woman while dancing on the stage drunk."

The agency also said that the woman had dropped charges against Onew, as she acknowledged that such incidents could occur under the influence of alcohol. It added that the singer would cooperate with the upcoming police investigation.

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