Police say musicians planned TV incident

A police officer said yesterday that the rock musicians who exposed themselves on live TV Saturday had planned to do so in advance, contrary to their later assertion that it had been a spontaneous gesture.
Yesterday police summoned the two men, from a band called The Couch, for further questioning, along with the leader of the band Rux, who performed with them on Saturday’s MBC-TV broadcast.
The two members of The Couch pulled down their pants and exposed their genitals during the performance. The incident prompted a flood of angry phone calls to MBC, which quickly apologized.
According to an official from the Yeongdeungpo police precinct, members of Rux told police that the two members of The Couch had told them before the show that they planned to take off their clothes and “make a scene.” Police also cited the fact that the two men exposed themselves simultaneously as evidence that they had planned ahead.
According to police, one member of Rux said, “I didn’t know the exposure was planned in advance. I apologize to the public. With regards to the two members of The Couch, I do not judge them, since I’m their friend.”
If the musicians are determined to have planned the incident in advance, they could be charged not just with breaking laws pertaining to public performance, but with interfering with a business, which could mean a maximum jail term of five years instead of one. MBC yesterday filed a complaint with police accusing the musicians of interfering with its business.

by Lee Sang-bok