Sex crimes in showbiz industry jolt society

At least 11 singing aspirants were forced to have sex with singers of an entertainment agency in southern Seoul. But the actual number of victims could be much more with the Gangnam Police Station refusing to disclose details of the case.

The agency involved in the forced sex is Open World Entertainment, which a 51-year-old Chang has operated since December 2007 in Cheongdam-dong, after working as an entertainment planner for about five years.

The agency announced an apology for the incident last Tuesday after it became public. At first, the police station even rejected to identify the agency on grounds that the victims should be protected.

Singer Jun Jin, K-pop group Boss, and actor Ko Joo-won are stars produced by the agency.

Female singing aspirants in their teens and 20s had continued to knock at the door of the agency to realize their dream of becoming girl group members before the sex crimes were revealed, sources close to the agency said.

Chang, the former boss of a criminal gang and owner of a nightclub, had managed all the processes in person from screening to training the aspirants, many of whom were forced to have sex with actors and singers belonging to the agency.

Despite this, no victims dared to report the forced sex to the police as Chang reportedly threatened them, saying, "There is no one in the entertainment community whom I don't know".

He is reported to have been a mastermind of the dispute erupted between girl group Kara and its agency, DSP Media, over "unfavorable" contract terms last year.

After the incident, he became more influential in the entertainment industry, the sources said.

At first, the case was regarded as a "bad practice" in the showbiz industry when it was revealed. However, after it became known that two male members of a K-pop group represented by the company were forced to rape the girls, all society was shocked.

On the Internet, the idol group Boss and Jun Jin have been circulated as suspects in the sex crimes.