[Yonhap News Photo]
SEOUL -- In the first legal case in South Korea's hip hop community, Kim Dae-woong, a rapper better known as Black Nut, received a suspended jail sentence for sexually abusing KittiB, a female hip hop artist, through lyrics and stage performances of his own songs.
The rapper was sentenced Thursday to six months in prison on conviction of defaming Kim Bo-mi, better as her stage name KittiB. His sentence was suspended for two years, but a district court in Seoul ordered 160 hours of social community service.
Black Nut, 30, rose to fame following his controversial performances on the 2015 TV series, Show Me the Money 4. He has been on trial since he was indicted in 2017 on complaints from KittiB, who gained popularity after the 28-year-old finished second in a 2015 TV rap competition.
The rapper did not acknowledge his crime, but he was found guilty of sexually offensive performances or remarks in his concerts and SNS posts. The case caused controversy over the freedom of art in South Korea's hip hop community.
The freedom of art is important, but Black Nut should have protected moral rights and honorary feelings of the victim, the court ruled, scolding the rapper for showing no regrets for acts of sexual abuse.
DeAngelo Bailey, a sanitation worker, sued Marshall Bruce Mathers III, an American rapper known as Eminem, in 2001, for invading his privacy in a song which portrayed Bailey as a violent school bully. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2003 when a court ruled that it was clear to the public that the lyrics were exaggerated.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
