Produce 101 Season 2 Trainees Accuse Female Company CEO for Sexual Assault

6 male idol trainees, some of which participated in Mnet‘s Produce 101 Season 2, have accused their company CEO and her younger sibling for sexual assault.

The unnamed company CEO, a 53 year old woman, and her younger sibling who is also an investor in her company, have been accused of violating the Act on Sexual Crime Violence.

10 trainees from the agency were in Japan for roughly 1 month to hold performances. After they concluded their activities, all of the trainees held a group dinner at a restaurant in Tokyo on September 28, 2018, where 5 of the trainees were sexually assaulted.

In the lawsuit, the trainees stated how embarrassed and humiliated they were for having been sexually assaulted.

“At the restaurant, the CEO and her younger sibling touched, molested, and sexually assaulted some of the trainees’ bodies. We felt both sexually and personally humiliated from this.”

— Unnamed company trainees

Among the list of the plaintiffs (people who filed the lawsuit) are trainees who appeared in Produce 101 Season 2. Additionally, while they were not sexually assaulted, it was confirmed that there were 2 minors who attended the dinner, witnessing the assault.

The legal representative for the trainees stated how the CEO and her sibling used their position of high power to exert their influence on the trainees, and suppressing their free will with their power they had on the trainees. He also mentioned the long-term effects of the assault on the trainees.

“The trainees, including the victims and the minors, are receiving psychiatric treatment. They were afraid of any secondary damages coming their way, so they sent their evidence to their company CEO and President, and requested the Seoul Central District Court to suspend their contract.”

— Trainees’ legal representative

Both the CEO and her sibling have denied the charges, saying the law will prove their innocence.