Mamamoo's Hwasa attends police questioning after being sued for alleged public indecency

Social Affairs

Published: 12 Sep. 2023, 14:03 Updated: 12 Sep. 2023, 16:45

Mamamoo's Hwasa attends police questioning after being sued for alleged public indecency

Hwasa of girl group Mamamoo [NEWS1]

The head of the parents' group that sued Mamamoo's Hwasa in June for public indecency said in a radio show on Monday that the singer's performance in May was worse than "flashing."

"Hwasa's performance at Sungkyunkwan University involved [a choreography] brushing up her private parts in a leg wide-open posture," Shin Min-hyang, the head of the group, known as Hakinyeon, said.

Her comments come after the police said on Sunday that Hwasa was recently questioned for three hours at Seongdong Police Precinct in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, regarding the allegation.

The parents' organization alleges she committed public indecency at a university festival on May 12.

"This obscene act constitutes public indecency under the Criminal Act and led to a complaint on June 22," Shin added.

She said it was likely that elementary school children were either present at the scene or watching the performance live on TV.

A YouTube video shows Hwasa performing at Sungkyunkwan University on May 12. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

When the radio program's moderator asked if Hwasa's behavior was on par with that of a flasher, the civic group leader said her "performance was even worse in some aspects because it was seen by a bunch of random people and the general public."

"We are aware of the criticism we face [...] but such performance should not be made like a terror activity against multiple persons at an unexpected location."

Shin added that many girl groups and boy bands perform in a sensual way, but Hwasa's performance resembled a sexual act.

"It is baffling to see her showing no sign of remorse."

Pop culture critic Kim Hern-sik, who also appeared on Monday's radio show, called Shin and her group "monster parents."

"[The complaint] would have been justified if [the school's] undergraduates brought it up, the performance's main audience," Kim said. "This is a case where monster parents intervened too deeply in artistic freedom."

Kim added the focus should be on who felt humiliated by Hwasa's performance, saying that Hakinyeon filed the complaint based on its standards, not the college students.

Police authorities will determine whether to forward Hwasa to prosecutors for public indecency.

BY JUNG SI-NAE, SOHN DONG-JOO [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]