Japanese porn star involved in THE BOYZ controversy breaks silence on Ju Haknyeon's prostitution allegations

Indian Express

7 hours ago

THE BOYZ's Ju Haknyeon has been removed from the K-pop group over his alleged ties with Japanese adult video actor Asuka Kirara. His agency, One Hundred, confirmed on June 18 that they're moving forward as a 10-member act after terminating Ju's contract, following media reports that had exploded online. In response, Ju dropped a handwritten note shutting down the allegations and filed both civil and criminal complaints against the agency for what he called an unfair removal. Now, for the first time, Asuka Kirara has spoken up, and she's made it clear: she never took money for sex, not from Haknyeon, not from anyone.
Also read: THE BOYZ controversy explained: Ju Haknyeon reported to police after group exit over alleged prostitution; CEO issues apology
On June 20, Asuka tweeted straight from her X handle, addressing the controversy head-on. While everyone online had something to say, she pointed out that the Japanese tabloid Shūkan Bunshun hadn't even published its article yet. Kirara claimed someone at the bar that night took a photo and sold it off. 'There are a lot of speculations going around, but the Shūkan Bunshun article hasn't come out yet. Please don't spread false information. I have never once in my life engaged in paid sex acts (prostitution) in private. Of course, this time too. A woman who was there for the first time seemed to like Haknyeon, so she had her photo taken and sold to Bunshun,' she said, as translated by Koreaboo.
A day after his removal from THE BOYZ was made public, Ju dropped a separate note, making it clear he never ended the contract from his side. He claimed the agency demanded a hefty amount from him as compensation for damages, even though, in his words, he wasn't involved in anything illegal to begin with. Ju said he's taking legal action against the agency and all media outlets pushing false stories about him, and has already filed both criminal and civil lawsuits. Earlier, Haknyeon admitted in a handwritten letter that yes, he was at the Tokyo gathering on May 30, but denied any illegal activity, calling all prostitution claims baseless and damaging. 'I want to hold the agency accountable for kicking me out without reason. And I'll go all the way to reveal the truth. I hope this gives someone out there a little hope,' he said. 'If there is evidence of prostitution, please disclose it to me immediately. Also, I have never left the team and have never agreed to the termination of my exclusive contract.'
Also read: 'I'm scared': Ju Haknyeon says he never left THE BOYZ, to file criminal lawsuit against agency for demanding money over 'false' prostitution case
Born in 1988, Asuka started her AV career in 2007. She has a huge fan base in Korea and has won several major awards as well. In fact, she held fan meets in Seoul in 2017 and 2018 and even bagged a Korean Arts & Culture award in 2023 under the Overseas Model category. But this isn't the first time she's been linked to a celebrity. Back in the day, she was said to have dated Hey! Say! JUMP's Inoo Kei after the two were photographed in Singapore. His agency quickly denied it, and Kirara's team backed the denial. In 2024, Asuka went public with a relationship with Hilock, a YouTuber who is 12 years younger than her. They never publicly broke up, so now fans are divided—are they still together? And does Ju really have nothing to do with any of this? On the other hand, the K-pop star has said he waited a long time for the truth to come out, referring to his hiatus that the agency earlier claimed was due to personal reasons. But now, he feels like he'll have to fight for it.