“I am disgusted”: Controversy erupts as HyunA uploads Instagram post with former BEAST member Yong Jun-hyung following his alleged Burning Sun scandal

On Thursday, January 18, 2024, K-pop soloist HyunA uploaded a picture of her holding hands with the former BEAST member, Yong Jun-hyung. While fans continued to debate as to whether the post announced a collaboration between the two or hinted at the two dating, they were concerned and angered by her association with the idol.

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of r*pe, pr*stitution, drug trafficking, and s*xual assault. Viewers' discretion is advised.

Yong Jun-hyung was allegedly revealed to be involved in the Burning Sun scandal, where a group of K-pop idols was accused of taking non-consensual s*xual videos and sharing them in a group chat. The members of the group chat included idols such as Jung Joon-young, Yong Jun-hyung, and Choi Jong-hoon, who were connected to the bar named Burning Sun, owned by the former BIGBANG member, Seungri.

When the police learned about the incident, investigations kickstarted to further uncover details about the same and Jun-hyung reportedly admitted to viewing these illegal videos that were sent in the group chat.

Given that HyunA has always communicated her support for women's rights and empowerment, fans were not happy seeing her being associated with Jun-hyung, who was majorly involved in the Burning Sun scandal.

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Fans upset as HyunA's recent IG post hints at her association with Yong Jun-hyung

Back in January 2019, MBC reported a November 2018 case of a male being assaulted at Burning Sun by one of the staff members who was trying to save a woman in the club from being s*xually assaulted.

This report snowballed into a heavy investigation of the Gangnam club, Burning Sun, owned by the former BIGBANG member, Seungri. It was revealed to have several connections with serious crimes such as pr*stitution, drug trafficking, and police corruption.

On further investigation, the police uncovered allegations of the club's usage of spy cams and r*pe. This led to the realization that several Korean celebrities who were involved in the club's functioning participated in a KakaoTalk group chat where videos of non-consensual and s*xual videos of women were being uploaded.

Among the several people who were affected by the investigations that unfolded until 2021 was the former BEAST and Highlight member, Yong Jun-hyung.

During the investigations, the idol admitted to not only being a part of the group chat but also speaking inappropriately about these videos in the chats. However, the idol stated that he never participated in filming videos of this nature himself. The case eventually died down with some of the involved K-pop idols suffering consequences for their alleged crimes other than their resignation from the industry.

Yong Jun-hyung, who was out of the spotlight until November 2022, left his previous group, Highlight, and returned with a solo album, Loner. While criticism continued to attract him despite his fresh activities, what angered and shocked netizens was HyunA's association with the idol.

On January 18, 2024, HyunA uploaded an Instagram post of her and the idol holding hands and walking on the beach, erupting a controversy on the internet. Fans couldn't help but criticize HyunA for her association with someone who promoted or participated in a scandal that disrespected and harmed women.

Netizens were surprised by her actions, especially since the idol has been actively supporting and speaking for women's empowerment and rights.

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Whether it's an upcoming collaboration or a reveal that hints at the two dating, fans are not happy with HyunA's relationship with the idol and have been showcasing their displeasure all over social media platforms. However, both the artists' agencies are yet to respond regarding the K-pop soloist's Instagram post and rumors that have been flooding the internet.