Woo-shin is Accused of Sexually Harassing I.O.I’s Jeon Somi
Woo-shin often acts as an MC on music shows. However, in December 2016, he was accused of sexually harassing his fellow MC. The incident happened when Woo-shin and I.O.I’s Jeon Somi was given the opportunity to become MC’s at The Show. The sexually harassment controversy arose after a video appeared of the two of them, in which he allegedly accidentally touched Jeon Somi’s chest with his hand. The video went viral, receiving a lot of negative reactions from people who saw it.
At the time, Woo-shin and I.O.O’s Jeon Somi were making a special video to offer Christmas greetings from The Show. Scathing comments started coming from netters about what Woo-shin did. Many people insulted Woo-shin, saying things like: “Take out Woo-shin from the program!” “Please, replace the male MC from this show” “Just fire him!” “Start by apologizing haha, after that he can leave it” Woo-shin was being trolled by netters, but his fans supported him by saying that Somi also harassed him when she touched his hair. Fan’s responses didn’t stop the negative comments, instead, he continued to be ridiculed.
Both Agencies Responses
Because there were so many negative comments, both parties’ agencies finally gave official statements regarding the allegations of sexual harassment. YMC Entertainment, I.O.I’s agency, said that Jeon Somi was surprised by the rumors. At the same time, Top Media, which is UP10TION’s agency, said that rumors weren’t true. They also added that Woo-shin would be more careful about what he did, so as not to cause misunderstanding. Then his agency said that they would bring the case into court, stating “We will take legal action against rumors, all content, cruel editing, and false information about the video from Woo-shin and I.O.I’s Jeon Somi that were released on social media ‘The Show’ last December 24th“. Woo-shin’s agency also said that they checked the video together with Somi’s agency and representatives from The Show. They sent the controversial video to be analyzed by the Forensic Laboratory to prove that the video only looked the way it did because of the angle of the camera being used.
The Show Responds
Regarding the allegations of sexual harassment perpetrated by Woo-shin against I.O.I’s Jeon Somi, not only did the agencies make statements that it was a misunderstanding, but so did representatives from The Show. They also made an official statement, which said: “Staff from ‘The Show’ will make a statement regarding the special Christmas Day video. First of all, we sincerely apologize for injuring two of our MC’s, Woo-shin and Jeon Somi, because of the sudden controversy. And we apologize for making a problem for all the people who love ‘The Show’. The Video was taken using Somi’s manager’s phone because of a request from the staff of ‘The Show’. Our staff wasn’t present during the shooting process, but managers from both agencies as there. Beforehand, we check first whether this video can be released the MC, but we also did the previous exercises and took pictures without any problems at all.” “If you see the video, you can see that the two MCs stand quite far apart. The scene that was a problem when there was a shadow from Somi’s tie. When Somi moved her head so she could still be seen on the camera and coincided when Woo-shin moved his arm while he was explaining, so it looked like it was related. However, they really stand at a safe distance. There was a misunderstanding because of the direction throughout their shooting. We again state that there was no physical contact at all.” And, in essence, they also apologized for what misunderstandings have occurred.
Taking a Break From the Group
After the controversy, Woo-shin’s agency, Top Media, confirmed his participation for a comeback in 2017 with UP10TION. On June 6, 2017, his agency said that it had been decided that Woo-shin would take a break from his activities for healing because he was suffering from mental health problems. The issues began at the end of 2016 when the controversy broke out leaving him very stressed. How could he not to be stressed, when netizens continued to blaspheme Woo-shin even though the issue had been addressed? The announcement happened when UP10TION was live on the Vlive app. Some people who watched the broadcast said that Woo-shin was a rapist, and Woo-shin wasn’t looking as cheerful as he usually does. The decision regarding his taking a break from the comeback was approved by the members, meaning that UP10TION would make their comeback with nine members instead of ten. They wanted to ensure that Woo-shin would recover and participate in their future activities.
Comeback Again with UP10TION
After taking a break for nine months, UP10TION’s Woo-shin made a comeback with his group. On the morning of March 9, 2018, he shared a letter that he wrote to his fans, through his Fan Cafe site. In his letter, he explained how he was doing at the time, and thanked the fans who always supported and loved him, no matter what. He also said that he really missed HONEY10, the name for UP10TION fans. Meanwhile, Woo-shin joined UP10TION for the 10th comeback with the full album ‘Invitation’, which was released on March 15. All of their fans were very happy to see his return, and they say ‘Welcome back, Woo-shin!’.
