TAIPEI – Taiwanese actor Aaron Yan is under police investigation over allegations made by Taiwanese influencer Raku in June.
Raku, 22, claimed on social media on June 20 that he began a sexual relationship with Yan, 37, in 2017, when he was 16 and the star was 31.
Raku accused Yan of “penetrating” him when he was asleep and taking videos of them having sex without his consent. The videos were leaked in 2018.
Yan’s home and studio were searched by Taiwanese police on Monday, and his belongings, such as his mobile phone and laptop, were taken away for investigation.
The actor was also questioned by the authorities on the same day, as he was suspected of violating the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act.
He was then released on bail of NT$500,000 (S$22,000) in the evening and barred from leaving Taiwan.
Yan told the media after posting bail that he will cooperate fully with the investigations, adding that he will try his best to clear his name.
He previously reacted to Raku’s allegation on June 20 by admitting to their past relationship and claiming that the videos might have been leaked after he had sent his mobile phone for repairs.
He also gatecrashed Raku’s press conference the next day, bowing and apologising to the influencer twice before leaving the venue.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese artiste Apple Huang, 39, has taken to social media to clarify rumours about her relationship with television host Blackie Chen, 46.
Huang was a former member of Chen’s variety show Blackie’s Teenage Club, and there were insinuations of an improper relationship between Chen and Huang, who was reportedly one of his favourite members.
Chen was accused in June by Taiwanese singer Tina Chou and Taiwanese actress Yuan Kuo of sexual harassment.
Huang clarified on Facebook on Monday that she has a normal relationship with Chen, adding that she joined Blackie’s Teenage Club in 2005. She said she joined the agency co-founded by Chen in 2010 and left the agency after her contract expired in 2017.
She added that she was sexually harassed at the age of 15 when she took part in a model selection by a magazine.
“During the audition process, the offender asked me to take off all my clothes (including my bra) on the pretext of checking my skin for scars, and he even commented on my body,” she wrote.
The singer-host did not name the person in her post, but said the perpetrator has been embroiled in Taiwan’s ongoing #MeToo movement and appears to be in an unstable mental condition.
Several netizens commented under her post that the person is likely Taiwanese TV host Mickey Huang, 51, who allegedly attempted self-mutilation after facing sexual harassment allegations.
