FT Island’s Choi Min-hwan is under investigation over allegations from his ex-wife

SEOUL – K-pop boy band FT Island’s drummer Choi Min-hwan is under police investigation following allegations made by his ex-wife Yulhee.

On October 25, the Gangnam Police Station confirmed that it had opened an internal investigation against Choi on charges related to the Punishment for Commercial Sex Acts Act.

The allegations first surfaced when Yulhee, a former member of K-pop girl group Laboum, posted a 37-minute video on her YouTube channel on October 24.

In the video, Yulhee, whose full name is Kim Yul-hee, claimed that Choi frequented prostitution establishments. She released conversations between him and a person who appeared to be a brothel employee, recorded between July and August 2022.

After Yulha’s video, a citizen filed a complaint through e-People – the platform of South Korea’s Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission – reporting that Choi and the alleged broker violated the Punishment Act for Commercial Sex. Acts.

Choi, 31, and Yulhee, 26, got married in 2018 and have three children, a six-year-old son and four-year-old twin daughters. The couple divorced in December 2023, and Tsoi received custody of the children.

He recently appeared on the South Korean parenting show Superman Returns (2013-present), where he talked about the difficulties of being a single parent.

Yulhi shared in a YouTube video that after the divorce, she received abusive comments accusing her of child neglect. She said: “Sometimes I wondered why I had to put up with such criticism, feeling unfair and wronged.”

In response to the controversy, Choi’s agency, FNC Entertainment, released a statement on October 25 expressing regret for the public’s disappointment. The company confirmed that Choi will cease all media activities, including his television appearances with his children.

Meanwhile, during FT Island’s concert in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on October 26, Choi reportedly performed backstage and did not appear on stage. The concert was part of Pulse In Asia’s 17th anniversary tour. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK