SPIRE Entertainment is far from finished with their former artist OMEGA X, it seems.
On March 19, 2024, SPIRE Entertainment held a press conference stating that the agency’s former agency, Kang Seong-hee, had been sexually harassed by a member of OMEGA X during their tour in the United States in 2022.
SPIRE Entertainment asserted that their former CEO “is not a criminal but a victim of sexual harassment.” During the press conference, SPIRE Entertainment’s current CEO Hwang Seong-woo played a surveillance camera clips supposedly showing OMEGA X member Lee Hwi-chan touching the former CEO inappropriately.
The videos were apparently lost until about two weeks ago, according to SPIRE Entertainment, and will be used as evidence in the charges they will press against Lee Hwi-chan for sexual assault.
The current CEO, who is the husband of the former CEO, said that the incident happened when OMEGA X was on tour last July 2022.
“The members were drinking after work and discussing when to begin their mandatory military service with our employees,” says Hwang Seong-woo. He later on added that while his wife (former CEO) was taken aside by Lee Hwi-chan because he was upset about doing his military service when they (OMEGA X) had just “pulled something off” in their career, Lee “forced himself” onto her.
Hwang Seong-woo continued saying, “Kang tried to push Lee Hwi-chan away, but he did not let up and kept touching her. Kang kept on trying to undress her upper body. She pushed him away and told him off, but Lee forced himself onto her. She felt threatened and calmed him down so as not to provoke him.”
Hwang also said that all 11 members of OMEGA X were told of the incident when they were in the process of terminating their contracts with SPIRE Entertainment back in 2022.
In rebuttal to the claims made by SPIRE Entertainment, OMEGA X’s current agency IPQ Entertainment released a statement saying that the claims were false and that they (SPIRE Entertainment) were doing this to “hinder group activities.”
IPQ Entertainment released a lengthy and detailed statement, which includes photo evidence and the mentioning of other cases with the other members of OMEGA X, but here is a shorter and condensed version of it (as translated by Soompi):
“We express deep regret and strongly criticize SPIRE Entertainment for their unilateral claims based on fragmented CCTV footage. The footage fails to accurately represent the overall context of the incident and is being used unjustly to portray Hwi-chan as a perpetrator of an indecent act of compulsion. We once again demand the release oif all CCTV footage from that day and call for cooperation to uncover the truth. We will puruse legal action for the false allegations against Hwi-chan for an indecent act by compulsion.
We express deep concern for the unjust situation faced by OMEGA X and will made every effort to protect the rights and honor of all our artists including member Hwi-chan by using all available legal means. We request the active cooperation of all parties involved to ensure a fair and accurate investigation.
We hope for a swift resolution to the unjust suffering endured by the members who, despite enduring abnormal behavior within SPIRE Entertainment for two years, refused to give up on their dreams. We remain confident that the truth will eventually be revealed.
Finally, we express our gratitude to everyone including fans for their unwavering love and support amidst the prolonged legal proceedings, lawsuits, and dissemination of false information. We pledge transparency and honesty to regain the trust of our artists, fans, and the public.”
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