YouTube star says she was coerced to pose for pornographic photos

Seoul Mapo Police Station on Friday launched an investigation into allegation by a well-known YouTuber that she had been forced to pose for pornographic photos.

The police questioned two women, YouTuber Yang Ye-won and her friend Lee So-yoon, under the presence of an attorney in an undisclosed location on Friday.

Yang Ye-won, widely known on a streaming site for the videos she makes with her boyfriend, publically spoke about being a victim of sexual abuse.

Yang uploaded a clip on her YouTube Channel “Beagle Couple” on Wednesday, talking about what happened to her in 2015, when she applied to work as a part-time model for an online shopping mall. 

After going through an interview with a man calling himself “the chief,” at a studio in Hapjeong, western Seoul, she returned to the space for a photo shoot. But as she stepped in, the man locked the door, she said.

According to her, she was forced to wear revealing lingerie and to pose for lewd photos. She also claimed she was sexually molested by a group of around 20 men who took photos of her and groped her. As she was threatened about the photos being leaked online, she had to return to the photo shot, for a total of five times.

She went on to explain that the group seemed like a photo club, which regularly engages in such photo shoots.

Yang claimed she came forward with the matter after some of the photos from the incident were recently leaked online on pornographic websites.

Her friend Lee So-yoon and another model Yoo Ye-rim came forward with a similar story, alleging they are victims of sexual harassment.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)