Korean online communities expressed outrage and disdain following the release of rapper Bassagong, who had served a year in prison on charges of illegally filming parts of his sleeping ex-girlfriend and distributing them. Images and videos celebrating his release recently emerged across social media platforms, sparking a heated response from the public.
The controversy began when pictures from a gathering meant to celebrate Bassagong’s release appeared on popular online forums like DC Inside on April 12. It was reported that one of Bassagong’s acquaintances first shared these photos on Instagram. The photos depict the rapper smiling as he receives congratulations from a circle of friends and family. He is even being presented with a traditional gift of tofu, symbolizing a new start.
Despite the festive atmosphere in the images, the response from netizens was anything but celebratory. Social media users quickly took to various platforms to express their displeasure, with comments criticizing the celebration. One user questioned the appropriateness of recording such an event, sarcastically asking why it was necessary to make a spectacle of his release. Others highlighted the inappropriateness of celebrating someone just released for a sex crime.
- “Why gather people and film it like it’s something to boast about?”
- “He’s been jailed for a sex crime, and they’re filming a release celebration? Ridiculous.”
- “Only the victim is to be pitied.”
Bassagong was arrested and later prosecuted for recording intimate parts of his then-girlfriend while she was asleep, during a 2018 incident in Yangyang. He then shared these recordings in a private KakaoTalk groupchat. In his initial trial, he was convicted under the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes, receiving a one-year prison sentence and orders for sexual violence therapy and a three-year work restriction in certain facilities.
The rapper attempted to appeal the verdict, claiming the sentence was too severe, but the appeal was dismissed, with the court referencing the significant suffering endured by the victim. Further stirring controversy, Bassagong released a ten-track album from behind bars in February, which he wrote and composed himself.
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