Korean police have started an internal investigation on Korean rock band FT Island member Choi Min-hwan for alleged violation of prostitution law.
The investigation was launched after Choi Min-hwan was exposed by his former wife, Yul-hee, a former K-pop idol under the group Laboum.
Choi Min-hwan is being investigated for alleged violation of the Korean law Act on the Punishment of Arrangement of Commercial Sex Acts that deals with prostitution.
He is under probe for allegedly visiting prostitution joints or adult entertainment bars in South Korea, according to Korean media.
Choi Min-hwan and Yul-hee (Instagram)
A netizen filed a complaint against Choi Min-hwan before South Korea’s online National Petition Center.
"We strongly urge that Mr. Choi and the broker will be thoroughly investigated on the charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Arrangement of Commercial Sex Acts and that they be severely punished if any criminal charges are revealed," according to the complaint.
Under Korean law, prostitution is defined as “receiving or promising to receive money or other financial benefits from an unspecified person and performing any of the following acts or becoming the other party: a. Sexual intercourse, b. Pseudo-sexual intercourse using parts of the body, such as the mouth and anus, or implements.”
Choi Min-hwan and Yul-hee got married in 2018 and have three kids.
Last December, they announced their divorce and Choi Min-hwan got custody of their children.
After their divorce, Yul-hee has been the target of hate from netizens, accusing her of abandoning her children.
On Oct. 22, Yul-hee appeared on the TV show "I Am Single Now" and talked about her divorce.
To air her side, Yul-hee uploaded a video on her YouTube channel on Oct. 24 and said that Choi Min-hwan went to prostitution establishments or adult entertainment bars while they were married.
Choi Min-hwan (Instagram)
FT Island Lee Hong-gi, Lee Jae-jin and Choi Min-hwan (Instagram)
Yul-hee in a video she uploaded on Oct. 24 (Screenshot from Yul-hee's YouTube video)
She also played a recording of phone calls purportedly of Choi Min-hwan negotiating and talking to a broker or pimp. .
The video has garnered 2.9 million views as of this writing.
In the video, Yul-hee said after the divorce, she “was just puzzled by the sharp comments directed at me. I wanted to take an objective view first," SBS Star reported.
She added, "We came to the decision solely through conversation, and I didn't feel it was right to assign blame or talk about faults. However, sometimes I felt upset and unfairly targeted. Why should I be the one receiving all this criticism?"
Yul-hee revealed that during their marriage, Choi Min-hwan went to adult entertainment bars or prostitution joints.
"About a year ago, something big happened between us. I found out that Minhwan had been visiting adult entertainment bars multiple times. After that, our marriage completely changed,” she revealed.
Choi Min-hwan also did inappropriate acts like touching her and putting money on her cleavage while family members were present.
“He would sometimes touch me inappropriately and stick money into my chest when he was drunk, even in front of family. I later realized it was a habit. I thought it was because he was just too drunk. But once I found out that it was due to his frequent visits to adult entertainment bars, I realized it was a problem that couldn't be resolved," she said.
Yul-hee then released an audio recording from July to August 2022 where Choi Min-hwan allegedly talked to a pimp.
The alleged recording showed Choi Min-hwan asking about women and reservation at an adult entertainment bar.
"I sneaked out. Can you make a reservation at a bar? Do you know any good ones that are open?" according to the recording.
Choi Min-hwan also said, "I just went to one, and there were no girls available. Can you get me into any bar with nice girls right now?" "I still need to pay the 2.3 million won [approximately 1,700 dollars] from last time, right? Do you use Telegram? Install the app and send me your bank account details via Telegram."
He added, "Gangnam is packed right now. There are so many people at all the bars, and they all told me I'd have to wait an hour or two to get a room. I guess it's because it's the weekend. Can you find a good one for me? But if that's the case everywhere, just take me to any bar. I'm fine with waiting as long as I can get home by 7 AM."
"Do you know any hotels around here? It's 4 AM, and I'm having trouble finding one. A love motel would be fine, too," "Can you prepare a toothbrush for me before I get to the bar?" he said.
During one phone call, the broker told him to go home.
"Hyung, I'm free right now. Don't talk to me about my wife and kids. There's no need to talk about them," Choi Min-hwan replied.
After Yul-hee’s exposé, FNC Entertainment, FT Island’s agency, announced that Choi Min-hwan will stop his activities.
"He will halt all media activities, including broadcasts where he appears with his children," the agency said.
FT Island is currently composed of three members: Lee Hong-gi, Lee Jae-jin and Choi Min-hwan.
Choi Jong-hoon, the former leader of FT Island, was convicted of gang rape and served in prison for two and a half years. He was released from prison on Nov. 8, 2021.
He and Jung Joon-young were found guilty of raping women in two occasions in 2016.