Gangnam saga claims Thai victim
Hi-so businessman Chawayos “Pup” Rattakul is preparing to take legal action after a woman at the infamous Burning Sun nightclub in South Korea tried to entrap him in fallout from the drugs and sex scandal enveloping the music industry there.
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| Pup |
Pup came forward last week amid claims he was implicated in an alleged sex attack at the hi-so nightspot in Seoul’s upscale Gangnam district.
A woman whose claims were aired on South Korean TV claims patrons at the nightspot invited her to join them, drugged her drink and later raped her at a hotel. She says the men comprised a Korean and two Thais.
Police say a number of women who have visited the nightspot have complained of being drugged and raped. Staff from the nightspot remove them from the premises when they pass out. If other patrons try to step in and help, bodyguards attack them, according to the claims.
The claims have set off speculation on local social media about the identity of the Thais. The woman’s testimony forms part of a growing probe into sex tapes, prostitutes, drugs and police corruption in Gangnam district which has already claimed several prominent scalps in the South Korean music industry.
Among them singer Lee Seung-hyun, 28, better known by the stage name Seungri, a shareholder and former publicity chief at Burning Sun, who has quit the industry after being charged with paying for prostitutes for foreign businessman to muster investment for his entertainment business.
Hi-so Pup, who visited the nightspot as a tourist in December, believes he fell victim to a scam being run from the club in the wake of the negative publicity in which unsuspecting patrons are drawn into a similar web of sex and drug claims.
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| Seung |
He said a woman approached him and his group of about 10 friends at the nightspot and struck up a friendship. Later that night he and the woman went back to his room where she stayed for a couple of hours.
“Early next morning a group of 10 police arrived claiming the woman and her boyfriend had laid a complaint claiming I had stolen her phone, drugged her and raped her,” Pup said.
“We were going for meal, and a friend suggested the Burning Sun as it was close to the hotel. It was the first time I had heard of it, and I wasn’t aware of the publicity,” he said.
While there were some similarities between his encounter and the one described by the victim whose claims sparked the probe, Pup said in his case the woman had sought out his company, posed for selfies and accompanied him back to his room.
He was able to show this evidence to police, who cleared him of any suspicions.
“The victim in the original saga says she took one drink which was laced with a drug and fell asleep ... but in my case we were together all night and my friends can vouch for me. We were happy, posed for a selfie together and when I returned to the hotel she followed. No drugs or force were involved, and police agreed the claims had no substance,” he said.
“I am starting to wonder if she laid a trap and was trying to exploit publicity over the nightspot. She might be drawing some benefit from someone in the background of the Seungri saga. If I had known the Burning Sun had a problem I wouldn’t have gone,” he said.
“They dragged me into it ... I was a stranger in a strange place,” he said, adding he would have to be more careful on his travels in future. Hi-so Pup said he does not know Seungri, but has contacted a lawyer to get a case under way against the woman who made the false claims.
Rocker pulls out of work
Rocker Sek Loso’s live-in lover rejects claims by his former wife that they have run out of money, but admits Sek is depressed and on his doctor’s advice has cancelled work.
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| Eve |
Model Apisaya “Eve” Pattanaworasap last week denied claims by Sek’s ex-wife, Wiphakorn “Kan” Sukpimai, with whom she has a rocky relationship, that Sek owes her millions of baht in child maintenance and has stopped working since leaving hospital late last year.
Sek was admitted with a bipolar disorder complaint after a marathon Facebook live session which raised concerns for his safety.
While Kan started accepting work again on his behalf last November, and Sek himself held his first concert since his release in Samut Prakan in early February, Kan revealed last week that she had since had to cancel 30 engagements as he was no longer performing.
“His condition has changed. Before he went into care, he was alert, but since coming out he is sad and moody. He is quite conscious, so I suspect it is the booze,” she said.
Kan said the couple’s son, Tiger, had admitted his father for care, and it was to him that Eve turned after Sek had been in hospital for a month or so, asking if she could take Sek home.
Kan said she did not object at the time, but she didn’t realise that Eve would take such poor care of him.
“He has gone back to drinking at home, and the place looks like a pigsty. I want Tiger to turn it into a real home,” she said.
She said Tiger, who is finishing up his studies overseas, intends to return to Thailand to look after his father. She also wants him to give Eve her marching orders, though admits the dispute over occupancy of the Sai Mai house might have to be settled in court.
“Sek doesn’t own the house he’s in, but has right of occupancy, according to our divorce agreement. Tiger is the legal owner and he will need somewhere to live,” she said.
“If Sek and Eve want to marry, that’s fine, but they should move elsewhere,” she said, referring to rumours that Sek and Eve intend tying the knot.
Eve, who has recently taken up work as a product presenter, tantalised her fans last week with a series of bikini modelling shots taken by the seaside. However, the Miss Maxim 2009 runner-up denied she was forced into going back to work because Sek has run out of money.
“He recently withdrew almost 1 million baht in tuition fees for Tiger. While he might be late occasionally, he always pays. He has cancelled work on doctor’s orders, as we want him to rest properly. However, he does have other businesses which bring in income, such as merchandising.
“While his condition is stable, he is depressed, and worries he won’t be able to perform to his best,” she said.
“It’s up to him if he wants me to stay, and he does. I do not allow him to drink at home, and we do have a cleaner. As for marriage, we will wait until he is better,” she said, denying Kan’s campaign of attrition against the couple was getting them down.
What’s a punch or two
Singer Chalatit “Ben” Tantiwut is apologising after he hit a woman in the eye at a city nightspot last week, with his manager claiming both he and the complainant were drunk.
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| Ben |
Sawitree Wongwai, 24, complained to Thong Lor police after the incident on Monday in which she approached Ben at a local nightspot and he punched her in the left eye. Her gruesome swollen eye was front page fodder in the press last week amid claims by the victim that Ben had been slow in coming forward to show remorse.
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| Sawitree, Ben's victim |
Ms Sawitree said she was at the nightspot in soi Sukhumvit 55, Thong Lor soi 16, with friends when she noticed Ben was going from table to table greeting patrons. Later she heard he and patrons at one of the tables had started arguing and staff had to intervene.
When she was about to leave, Ms Sawitree, who describes herself as a fan, dropped by his table to say she was heading home. She said Ben sprang to his feet and slapped her face.
She said he followed her to the front of the nightspot and threw an object at her, possibly an ash tray, which hit her leg.
“When I asked, P’, why did you do that, he punched me in the left eye,” she said.
After staff stepped in, friends took away Ben in a car. Meanwhile, she went to the police, who sent her to hospital for a checkup.
Ben’s manager was initially unable to reach the singer, saying he had yet to wake from his hard night out.
Ms Sawitree said Ben’s boyfriend later called to say sorry and offered to pay her hospital expenses. However, she wanted to hear from the singer himself. Later reports emerged to say Ben called to say sorry, but Ms Sawitree wanted him to do it publicly.
As this column went to press yesterday he was planning to call in the media to express remorse, with his manager telling reporters earlier that Ben and the complainant were both drunk.
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