Brother of late K-pop idol Goo Hara lashes out at her ex-boyfriend

Goo Hara's brother Goo Ho In (left) expressed shock at his sister's former boyfriend's lack of remorse. PHOTOS: PRISM_I/INSTAGRAM, KOOHARA__/INSTAGRAM

K-pop singer Goo Hara died of suicide at the age of 28 in November 2019. Today, her older brother continues to fight for justice on her behalf.

On Monday (April 6), Goo Ho In took to Instagram to voice his thoughts on Choi Jong Bum, his sister's former boyfriend.

Choi, a hairdresser, had physically assaulted the idol and blackmailed her with a sex tape in September 2018. He was found guilty of four charges - intimidation, assault, coercion and property damage - and received a three-year probation sentence in August 2019.

In September 2019, both the defence and prosecution filed for appeals and the case moved to a second trial, which is set to take place on May 21 this year.

In his post, Goo expressed his shock at Choi's lack of remorse, calling him out on "holding a grand opening party" since being released on probation.

"My family and many people who cherished and loved Hara are furious at Choi's shameless behaviour," Goo wrote, according to Korean entertainment news portal Soompi.

He also voiced his disapproval at the outcome of the first trial. "Unfortunately, the punishment for dating violence in our country is too lenient and weak when it comes to protecting the victim," Goo wrote.

"We sincerely hope that at least in the second trial, a just sentence will be served to the person who committed a horrible crime, through wise ruling stemming from universal common sense and a sense of justice."

He also noted that the petition for the Goo Hara Act, which he started, has been forwarded to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly.

The act aims to change current inheritance laws, which give parents of childless adults the right to inheritance even if they did not personally raise and provide for them. Goo managed to submit the petition to the National Assembly after it got 100,000 signatures from Korean citizens within 30 days.

The siblings were abandoned by their divorced parents when they were younger. Goo is currently in a legal dispute with his mother, who has demanded half of the late singer's inheritance. Their father has since given his 50 per cent share to his son.

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