Famous South Korean TikToker reportedly faces sexual assault charges after going silent on social media

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault

After months of radio silence on his social media, popular South Korean TikTok star Seo Won-jeong is now facing sexual assault charges, that if found guilty of, will have him serve 7 years in prison.

27-year-old Seo Won-jeong, most famously known as “WonJeongMan” or @ox_zung, is South Korea’s most followed non-celebrity TikTok content creator, racking up an impressive following of 55.6 million. He is most viral for shouting “Mama!” after recreating other content creators’ videos. He became recognizable inside and outside of South Korea for his content, thus also being known as “Mama Boy.” In May of this year, he gained a spot in Forbes’ “30 Under 30 Asia 2023” list.

However, his career skidded to a halt after he suddenly stopped posting content on all of his social media, leaving people to question what had happened. Well, the questioning also came to a stop after Seo was vaguely revealed on South Korean news as the “Influencer A” being investigated for sexual assault charges.

In a news report by SBS, “Influencer A and one other man was arrested for sexually assaulting a woman,” after a social gathering with ‘Woman B’. Both men had taken ‘Woman B’ to the other man’s house and subsequently raped her. After waking up, ‘Woman B’ called the police and reported that she “heard recording noises when she woke up” and then realized that she had been “sexually assaulted by both men.”

The news also detailed how it had been confirmed that ‘Influencer A’ refused to open the door when the police arrived at the door. The fire department had to get involved to force the door open.”

While the news report initially blurred out Seo’s identity, a video in the background was enough for people to identify who he was. People on the Internet had a multitude of reactions to this news, mostly of shock and disgust at how “the soft boy images given to South Korean men obscure the possibility of them committing heinous acts.”

Seoul Gangnam Police Station has since then sent the case to the prosecution on December 15, 2023. Seo will face up to 7 years in prison if he is found guilty for the sexual assault of an unconscious victim.

The first court hearing for Seo Won-jeong’s case is scheduled for January 17, 2024.

SOONENT, Seo’s agency, has yet to respond to the news.

 

Other POP! stories that you might like:

BTS Jimin’s new single ‘Closer Than This’ leaves fans emotional

Former FIFTY FIFTY members reportedly sued for US$99.7 million by Korean agency ATTRAKT

First human-whale ‘conversation’ could pave the way for communication with aliens, scientists claim

EU investigates Elon Musk’s X over alleged failure to combat illegal content and disinformation

Redefining godparents’ responsibilities: Where do we draw the line?

Read more...