Agency confirms motel visit but denies intimate contact, accuses person behind allegations of attempted extortion
South Korean rapper Yang Hong-won has denied allegations of infidelity that surfaced just five days after his wedding to longtime partner Won Hyun-ju.
In a statement released Friday, Yang's agency, AP Alchemy, confirmed that he had visited a motel with another woman before the wedding but denied any intimate contact. It also accused the person behind the allegations of attempted extortion.
The controversy erupted earlier Friday when a person claiming to know Yang accused him of infidelity on Instagram, sharing purported recordings of phone conversations with the rapper and screenshots of messages sent to his wife.
"The allegations made by the person who exposed the incident are not true, and the materials presented have been maliciously edited," AP Alchemy said.
The agency alleged that the accuser had threatened Yang and the woman to obtain money, then released misleading information after failing to secure payment.
Yang and the woman have separately filed criminal complaints against the accuser, alleging extortion, violations of South Korea's anti-stalking law and defamation through the dissemination of false information.
Explaining the motel visit, AP Alchemy said Yang had attended a drinking gathering at the accuser's home following a performance. The accuser allegedly instructed Yang and the woman to leave and go to a motel of the accuser's choosing.
Yang, who was heavily intoxicated, went there to sleep, while the woman accompanied him because she had nowhere else to stay.
As of Saturday, Yang and his wife, former model Won, were no longer following each other on Instagram. Neither has publicly explained the change.
The couple married in a private ceremony in Seoul on Oct. 18 after approximately eight years together.
Yang rose to prominence in 2017 after winning the inaugural season of "High School Rapper," a South Korean television competition for aspiring teenage rappers. He later finished as runner-up on another Korean hip-hop competition show, "Show Me the Money 8," in 2019.
jaaykim@heraldcorp.com