[Yonhap Photo]
Boy group B1A4 has officially responded to recent sexual harassment rumors surrounding the group and a female comedian from a popular cable TV show Saturday Night Live Korea.
The five-member group's agency, WM Entertainment released a statement Monday and said "We are sorry that such controversial issue has surfaced right before B1A4's comeback. However, we think the apologies from the show's crews and the comedian, Lee Se-young, was appropriate and we will concentrate on B1A4's future activities from now on."
A controversy sparked over a leaked behind-the-scene video showing a comedian Lee Se-young groping at what appeared to be the crotches of B1A4 members. The video was uploaded onto YouTube during the weekend.
The incident took place when the Saturday Night Live show's casts, staff and guests gathered to share applause after the curtain fell. Lee and her female colleagues were seen raiding the guests ludicrously with Lee's hands being stretched to their private parts, although the video fell short of showing any actual physical contact.
Lee soon publicly apologized about the incident. "I don't know how to say this. I am so sorry for my actions," she wrote in a post updated onto her Instagram Monday. "I am sorry for disturbing many people."
Fans opened a broadside at Lee for humiliating B1A4 members even though they smiled. They said Lee's action was tantamount to sexual harassment. Clips from the past popped up on YouTube, proving Lee was an ex-convict, taking similar actions against other boy groups like Block B and Infinite and shouting "I've touched them all!" Some angry fans urged Lee to step down but show creators said in a statement that she would not.
Aju News Park Sae-jin = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
