3 Accused over Sexual Assault of S. Korean DJ Soda at Osaka Music Event

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:35 JST, August 22, 2023

OSAKA — An Osaka-based event-management company filed criminal accusations Monday with the Osaka prefectural police against two unnamed men and a woman on suspicion of committing an indecent act and assault on South Korean entertainer DJ Soda at an outdoor music event held in Osaka Prefecture earlier this month.

According to investigative sources, two men possibly involved in the incident — a university student from Kitakyushu and a part-time worker from Hannan, Osaka Prefecture — turned themselves in at a Tokyo police station on Saturday.

The two men, both 20, reportedly said they had been drinking and acted without thinking, and did not intend to commit an indecent act.

The prefectural police will further interrogate the suspects, while analyzing video footage of the event provided by the firm, TryHard Japan.

According to the accusations, DJ Soda was performing at Music Circus ’23 in Sennan on Aug. 13, when, after running toward the audience, a man and woman touched her breasts and another man pulled her arm.

DJ Soda made the assault claims Aug. 14. on social media.

Posts related to the accusation have racked up more than 100 million views, according to TryHard Japan.

The company held a press conference Monday in Osaka, condemning the three suspects for “unforgivable sexual crimes.” TryHard Japan President Yoichi Hiraoka said, “I feel morally responsible for not being able to protect DJ Soda’s safety.”