Singer Jung Joon-young Released from Prison

▲ This undated file photo shows singer and TV personality Jung Joon-young. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, March 19 (Yonhap) -- Singer Jung Joon-young, convicted of group sexual assault against intoxicated women, was released from the Mokpo Correctional Institution in Jeonnam Province on the morning of the 19th.

According to the music industry, Jung Joon-young emerged from the prison gates around 5 a.m. wearing a black hat, mask, glasses, and other items to conceal his face.

After leaving the prison, Jung Joon-young quickly boarded a waiting car without saying anything.

In 2016, Jung Joon-young was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison for the group sexual assault of intoxicated women in various locations including Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, and Daegu. He served his sentence and was released.

He also faced charges for distributing illegal footage, including secretly recorded videos of sexual encounters with women in a KakaoTalk group chat involving celebrities in late 2015.

During the trial, he claimed that some of the acts were consensual, but his defense was not accepted.

Jung Joon-young rose to fame in the music industry by finishing third in the 2012 Mnet audition program 'Superstar K4,' but after his involvement in sexual crimes, he was essentially expelled from the entertainment industry.

▲ Jung Joon-young (C) leaves the Jongno Police Station in downtown Seoul on March 29, 2019, to be transferred to the prosecution for an indictment on charges of leaking illegally filmed sex videos. (Yonhap)