In an interview with South China Morning Post, former Stray Kids member Kim Woojin continued to deny sexual assault allegations and accusations of belonging to a fake company.
Last month, Woojin was accused by an anonymous Twitter user of sexually harassing her in a bar. According to them, Woojin had approached her and used the name of his former group to make him appear popular as a way to pick up women. If the girls were to deny him, he would get hostile and grope them
Since that initial tweet, another user has come to expose Woojin. She, like the first user, claimed Woojin continued to use the Stray Kids name and, despite being told she had a boyfriend, refused to back off. As the girl continued to tell Woojin she was not interested, he got hostile and cursed at them. He was also accused of groping her and her friend's bottom.
At the time, Woojin released a statement on his Twitter and Instagram. Despite the statement claiming the sexual assault claims were fake, people did not believe him and called him out n numerous red flags. Certain red flags they caught were calling the accusations "weird rumors", promoting his solo debut in the same statement, and claiming he never met the poster, despite how the poster never even revealed their identity.
READ MORE: Former Stray Kids Member Woojin Accused Of Sexual Harassment + Releases Statement
In the interview with South China Morning Post, he once again claimed there was no truth to the accusations. He revealed that he did not take the accusations seriously at the time because there was no truth to it. "I did not take it seriously when the issue first arose because it is not true at all. I knew that people on Twitter often make up stories, but I was shocked that my case was spread much faster than any other rumors."
When they mentioned how his statement appeared dishonest and insensitive, Kim Woojin admitted that he did not expect such backlash. He said that he did not think too deeply about the wording of his statement because the claims made against him were "utter nonsense". He also claimed that it was impossible to address the allegations, as the user who first accused Woojin did not specify a time, place, and date.
At the peak of the controversy, K-pop fans started speculating Kim Woojin's new company was fake. Fans found numerous signs of a fake company, such as the name being the same as a DJ duo in Chicagoland that denied any affiliation with Kim Woojin. Their original logo was fund to be a logo of an online furniture shop. The website was made on Notion, a note-taking app, and the social media accounts were all made within the period of the scandal. Lastly, fans pointed out how the statement released by the company would alternate between referring to Woojn as "the artist" to first-person tenses.
READ MORE: K-Pop Fans Speculate That Former Stray Kids Member Woojin's New Company Is Fake
In the interview, Kim Woojin stresses that his company is real. "I met the founders after being introduced by my peers. We talked a lot. After having meetings for months, I realized that this company understood my vision for my future career and that they truly understood the K-pop industry. Since we are pursuing the same goals in music, I chose to sign the contract in August 2020," Kim Woojin said.
He also revealed that the company was founded by people who have been in the music industry for more than 10 years.
What do you think of the situation?
