Burning Sun documentary reportedly reveals KBS' legal team helped out Jung Joon-young manipulating the molka scandal

The BBC's documentary on the Burning Sun reportedly uncovered that the KBS’ legal team helped Jung Joon-young in manipulating the victim during the “Molka” video s*x scandal. According to the recordings shared in the documentary, lawyers at KBS played a huge role in pressuring the victim to retract her legal complaint against the K-pop idol.

In September 2016, Jung Joon-young became embroiled in the Burning Sun scandal when he was accused of illegally filming his then-girlfriend, referred to as Kyung-mi in the documentary, while having s*x. She caught him in action, and out of fear of the videos going public, she reported the incident to the police. Within two days, Jung Joon-young was called in for the inquiry.

During the investigation, Jung Joon-young refused to give his mobile phone to the police department for the search and instead opted for a private forensic agency to examine it. However, the agency reported that the data was unable to be restored, raising suspicion among journalists regarding the sincerity of the investigation.

The Drug Restaurant member was a part of the well-known South Korean variety show 2 Days and 1 Night, airing on the KBS channel. According to the BBC documentary, the legal team at KBS allegedly reached out to Kyung-mi and warned her that if the evidence against Jung Joon-young was not enough to prove the allegations, she could face severe punishment.

Subsequently, Kyung-mi retracted her legal complaint and issued a statement saying that the K-pop singer had not committed any wrongdoing.

---

Burning Sun documentary: KBS receives backlash for allegedly protecting Jung Joon-young during the Molka video case

On May 19, BBC World Service released a documentary highlighting the investigative journalism efforts of two female South Korean journalists: Park Hyo-sil and Kang Kyung-yoon. Their work exposed an s*x abuse scandal involving K-pop idols such as Jung Joon-young, Choi Jong-hoon, Lee Seung-ri, and more, known as the Burning Sun Scandal.

Titled Burning Sun – Exposing the Secret K-Pop Chat Groups, the documentary shared how the Mistake singer made his return to the variety show 2 Days and 1 Night. According to journalist Park Hyo-sil, Jung had to withdraw from the show in 2016 when his first known victim, Kyung-mi, filed a complaint against him for the Molka video incident. KBS’ lawyers reportedly contacted the victim to take her legal complaint back.

The revelation sparked public outrage in South Korea, as it suggested that KBS’ legal team allegedly protected the idol in the case. Jung made his comeback to 2 Days and 1 Night with a special “welcome episode," where the cast members referred to him as the trouble-making youngest member.

Park Hyo-sil revealed that this turned the tables as Jung became a victim in this case and the media was portrayed as the "villains." She opened up about how she received emails in huge numbers and phone calls in the early hours of the day.

Regarding the phone calls, she stated,

“When I didn't answer the phone, they started sending obscene images.”

Journalist Park Hyo-sil from the Burning Sun Documentary (Images Via YouTube/BBC World Service)

According to BBC UK, Park Hyo-sil faced online criticism and was massively trolled for covering this case. Personally, the journalist went through two miscarriages in this timeline, and she currently does not have a child.

However, the South Korean public was convinced that the backlash KBS has received should not be ignored for allegedly helping the K-pop idol get away with his crimes.

The Burning Sun Scandal documentary is available on the BBC World Service's official YouTube channel.