Whistle-blower behind South Korea sex videos may not be charged

SEOUL, March 14 (UPI) -- The whistle-blower who leaked private conversations that took place between a K-pop star and his friends is not likely to be penalized under a South Korean law that bans the disclosure of private texts to the public.

Jung Joon-young, a South Korean singer and TV celebrity who is being linked to Lee Seung-hyun, also known as Seungri of boy band Big Bang, shared sex videos he took during intercourse with multiple women, Yonhap reported Thursday.

Jung was connected to Lee through exclusive online chat groups where men "bragged" about their sexual conquests and shamed women to silence.

Archives of the conversations, including various sex videos, were first obtained by South Korean network SBS. According to Yonhap, a member of the chat groups who requested anonymity was responsible for bringing the sex videos to the attention of authorities.

Strict privacy laws forbid phone users from taking confidential information from chat rooms. But the defendant "most likely" took the case to Seoul's Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, with the assistance of an attorney, according to Yonhap.

Police are undertaking investigations to recover the conversations from 2016 that took place on South Korea's biggest media platform Kakao Talk, by seizing data from a data restoration company where Jung may have left his phone for repairs.

Police said the leaked conversation that involved Jung was likely data that was professionally recovered from a device that had a record of the private conversation. Law enforcement is protecting the identity of the whistle-blower.

Jung's connection to Lee comes at a time when the scandal that began with allegations of drugging and rapes at a Lee-owned nightclub is growing.

Another Big Bang member, G-Dragon, or Kwon Ji-yong, is at the center of a controversy about favoritism in South Korea's military.

Newsis reported Thursday Kwon skipped 100 days of service in a year, due to "sickness." He was recovering from "ankle disability" during his absence, according to the report.