Former THE BOYZ member Ju Haknyeon has won a major legal battle against an entertainment journalist who published allegations linking him to prostitution. The Seoul Central District Court ordered the reporter to pay Ju 200 million won, approximately $140,000, in damages after ruling that the claims were false and had not been adequately verified.
The verdict, delivered on October 23 and reported this week, marks a significant development in a controversy that severely affected the singer’s career. The court found that the journalist had failed to establish reasonable grounds for presenting the allegations as fact, despite the potential damage they could cause to Ju’s reputation.
According to The Korea Times, the ruling addressed reports claiming that Ju had paid for sex with former Japanese adult film actress Asuka Kirara and subsequently admitted to the alleged encounter. The court found that the evidence presented did not support those claims.
How the Allegations Affected Ju Haknyeon’s Career
The controversy began in June 2025, when Japanese tabloid Shukan Bunshun published photographs of Ju with Kirara at a bar in Tokyo. A subsequent report by South Korean entertainment media alleged that the meeting involved a paid sexual arrangement.
Ju denied the prostitution allegations. However, the controversy quickly escalated, and his agency, One Hundred, announced his departure from THE BOYZ and the termination of his exclusive contract in June 2025.
The singer later filed a civil damages lawsuit against the journalist, seeking one billion won over the reports. The court ultimately awarded him 200 million won, finding that the journalist had not made sufficient efforts to verify the allegations before publication.
The judge also questioned whether the information gathered during the reporting process provided a reasonable basis for concluding that prostitution had occurred. The ruling underscores the importance of verifying serious allegations before publishing them, particularly when they can have lasting consequences for an individual’s professional and personal life.
Criminal Proceedings Remain Separate
The civil verdict is an important legal victory for Ju, but it does not necessarily end every proceeding connected to the controversy. The journalist is also facing a separate criminal trial over allegations of defamation through the publication of false information.
Ju’s dispute with his former agency has also formed part of the wider fallout from the case. The controversy led to substantial professional consequences before the civil court ruled in his favour.
For Ju and his supporters, the judgment represents an opportunity to challenge the damage caused by the reports. It also raises broader questions about media responsibility, evidence and the speed with which unverified claims can spread through the entertainment industry.
The ruling does not automatically restore the career opportunities Ju lost, but it establishes that the court found the published prostitution claims unsupported and defamatory.
