KRIS WU: K-POP STAR ARRESTED OVER RAPE ALLEGATION IN CHINA

Sun 01 August 2021:

Kris Wu, a Chinese-Canadian pop singer, was arrested by Beijing police on suspicion of rape.

Wu was being investigated after accusations surfaced online that he was “tricking young females into having sex with him,” according to a statement released late Saturday by police in Beijing’s Chaoyang district.

The 30-year-old former member of the Korean boyband EXO had previously been accused by a teenager of having sex with her while she was drunk. Wu denied the accusation.

A statement from police said that Wu had been “criminally detained” on suspicion of rape “in response to relevant information reported on the internet” including that he “repeatedly lured young women to have sexual relations”. It gave no other details.

Wu’s studio did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His law firm did not answer calls. The Canadian embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment.

It was not immediately clear whether Wu’s arrest was linked to the student who made the accusations in July.

The news was trending as the most searched topic on social media site Weibo on Saturday night, and some users online started commenting on Wu’s account, telling him to “Get out of China!”

The teenager publicised her accusations on social media and later in an interview with internet portal NetEase. A day after that interview appeared, at least 10 brands including Porsche and Louis Vuitton broke off endorsement and other deals with Wu.

According to the interview, she thought she was meeting Wu for a career opportunity. Instead, his staff forced her to drink. She said that, as someone who did not go to bars, her alcohol tolerance was low and she was drunk after two drinks. The next morning, she woke up in Wu’s bed, where he was kind to her and promised to take care of her, she said.

Chinese state media have indicated that Wu’s celebrity status and foreign citizenship are unlikely to help his case.

“Foreign nationality is not a talisman, no matter how famous he is, there is no immunity. Whoever breaks the law will be punished by law,” said the Communist Party-owned People’s Daily on a social media posting on Saturday evening that referred to the case.

Wu made his Hollywood debut in the 2017 sci-fi film “XXX: Return of Xander Cage” and was previously a member of K-pop group EXO.

Photo: Facebook Kris Wu fan page