According to information from the Korean Procuracy and Court, the defendant (referred to as Ms. A, over 50 years old) has filed a protest document with the East Seoul District Court.
Previously, the East Seoul District Court planned to open 2 trials for Ms. A in July 2026. Ms. A's latest move is to postpone or adjust this court hearing schedule. Currently, the court has not yet made a final decision.
The incident originated on June 13, 2024, at the Jamsil Gymnasium (Korea) during a fan meeting event after the eldest member of BTS was discharged from the army. When on stage, Ms. A suddenly rushed to approach and forcibly kissed Jin's neck, causing him to be startled and avoid it. Notably, after the event, this person also went on social media to show off his achievement: "My lips touched Jin's neck, his skin is very soft".
This action immediately ignited a wave of outrage in the ARMY fandom (BTS's fandom). After the incident, some Jin fans filed a petition through the online petition system of the South Korean government, requesting an investigation into Ms. A's act of sexual harassment in public.
The case was handed over to Songpa District Police (Seoul, South Korea) for handling. Due to initial difficulties in verification, functional agencies had to temporarily suspend the investigation in March 2025. However, after Ms. A voluntarily entered the country to enter South Korea to take statements, the police determined that her actions constituted a crime and transferred the file to the procuracy.
By November 2025, the East Seoul District Prosecutor's Office (South Korea) officially initiated non-custodial proceedings against Ms. A on charges of "sexual abuse by coercion" (serious sexual harassment).
At the investigating agency, Ms. A explained that she had no bad intentions and only thought this was an act of expressing normal feelings for a celebrity. However, the procuracy affirmed that the accusation was completely grounded, because this act was not approved by the victim, not to mention her public statements about her actions on social networks afterwards.
Answering an interview with TBS News television station (Japan) after being prosecuted, Ms. A expressed her indignation: "I am very resentful. I never thought that action would be a crime.
However, according to the analysis of Lawyer Masahiro Ogura on the legal news site Bengo4. com (Japan), Ms. A's reason for "not knowing the law" will certainly be rejected by the court. Lawyer Ogura cited Article 16 of the Korean Penal Code clearly stating: A person who violates the law by misunderstanding that their actions are not criminal will only be exempted from punishment if there is a truly legitimate reason.
This lawyer emphasized that, whether according to Korean or Japanese law, arbitrarily touching another person's body without permission is a crime. Therefore, Ms. A's argument of "accidentally committing a crime" cannot be used as a basis for acquittal or mitigation of punishment.
Currently, Korean public opinion is focusing its attention on the upcoming trial of Ms. A.
