Kim Hyun-joong may be hit hard by assault controversy

Actor and singer Kim Hyun-joong, one of the most popular South Korean stars in Asia, may take a battering over the alleged assault recently claimed by his girlfriend.

Kim, 28, had charges filed against him on Aug. 22 by his girlfriend who claimed he beat her on multiple occasions.

The woman claimed that she had been assaulted several times between late May and mid-July while arguing with Kim over women issues at his home in Jamsil, eastern Seoul.

According to the woman, Kim’s attacks left her with bruises in May and her ribs broken in July, requiring six weeks of medical treatment. She handed in a doctor‘s report to back up her claims.

A day after the charges were filed against him, Kim’s agency KeyEast confirmed through a press release that their arguments did get emotional and evolved into a physical altercation, but it only happened once, not repeatedly as the woman had claimed.

The agency also said that they are no longer a couple. The pair has known each other since 2012, but they only dated for a few months until recently.

The investigation by the authorities will clarify whether the violence claimed by the woman was used or not in their fight, but the fact that he has been accused of beating a woman will tarnish his up-to-this-point pure, kind and good boyfriend image.

Kim has enjoyed growing popularity with his drama “Inspiring Generation,” which helped him add a few more destinations such as Peru and Mexico to his concert schedule. Kim is now touring China, Japan and Southeast Asia as part of his worldwide concert tour “Fantasy.”

But whether he will make his way to the other countries on the tour remain unclear, given he is to be summoned for questioning soon. 

“We don’t know if we will push for the upcoming events. Foreign fans are generous about stars’ sex scandals or love life, but assault charges are different,” said an official in charge of promoting Kim’s events.

“It is still a merely one-sided story, but if the allegations turn out to be true, his image will suffer even more.”

Kim is to be called by the police for questioning around the time of his return to Korea on Aug. 25 from Thailand where he recently held a concert.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)