Yulhee (left) made the allegations against Choi Min-hwan on her YouTube channel on Oct 24. Photos: Yulhee/YouTube, Choi Min-hwan/Instagram
K-pop boy band FT Island’s drummer Choi Min-hwan is under police investigation following allegations made by his former wife Yulhee.
The Gangnam Police Station confirmed on Oct 25 that it has launched an internal investigation into Choi on charges related to the Act on the Punishment of Arrangement of Commercial Sex Acts.
The allegations first came to light when Yulhee, a former member of K-pop girl group Laboum, posted a 37-minute video on her YouTube channel on Oct 24.
In the video, Yulhee, whose full name is Kim Yul-hee, claimed that Choi frequently visited prostitution businesses. She released conversations between him and an individual who appeared to be a staff member of a brothel, which were recorded from July to August 2022.
Following Yulhee’s video, a citizen filed a complaint through e-People – a platform under South Korea’s Anti-corruption and Civil Rights Commission – reporting both Choi and an alleged intermediary to the police for violations of the Act on the Punishment of Arrangement of Commercial Sex Acts.
Choi, 31, and Yulhee, 26, married in 2018, and they have three children – a six-year-old son and four-year-old twin daughters. The couple divorced in December 2023, with Choi having custody of the children.
He recently appeared on South Korean parenting show The Return Of Superman (2013 to present), in which he talked about the challenges of being a single father.
Yulhee shared in the YouTube video that she has received hurtful comments accusing her of neglecting her children since the divorce. She said: “I sometimes wondered why I had to endure such criticism, feeling both unfairly treated and hurt.”
In response to the controversy, Choi’s agency, FNC Entertainment, released a statement on Oct 25 expressing regret for disappointing the public. The company confirmed that Choi would be halting all media activities, including his appearances with his children on television.
Meanwhile, during FT Island’s concert in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Oct 26, Choi reportedly performed backstage and did not appear onstage. The concert was part of the band’s Pulse In Asia tour celebrating their 17th anniversary. – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
