Prosecutors dismiss rape charge against singer Kim Gun-mo

Singer Kim Gun-mo [YONHAP]

The Seoul High Prosecutors' Office said it dismissed a rape charge against singer Kim Gun-mo, 54, on Tuesday.

The charge was filed in December 2019 by a woman who alleged that she had been raped by Kim in 2016 at a bar in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

This was the second time that the case was reviewed by the police. An official complaint was first submitted to the police in November 2019 and the case was dropped in November last year. The woman appealed the decision one month later.

Kim maintained his innocence, stating that he “does not remember it at all” through his agency.

Meanwhile, it was reported earlier this week that Kim and pianist Jang Ji-youn, who have been married since 2019, are getting a divorce.

The pair were “unable to resolve personal problems” and are “in the process of sorting out the specific details for the divorce,” a report from local news outlet TVDaily read.

The pair had legally registered their marriage in November 2019.

Kim, who debuted in 1992, is best known for songs like “Wrongful Encounter” (1995) and “Jjangga” (2001).

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]