DJ Soda groped and 'helplessly sexually harassed' by mob at Japan music festival

Lim Ruey Yan
The Straits Times
Aug 15, 2023

Popular South Korean performer DJ Soda said she was “shocked and scared” after being openly groped at the Osaka Music Circus Festival in Japan on Sunday.

Known for her blend of hard dance and hip-hop as well as her bubbly stage persona, she wrote on social media on Monday that she had “never experienced anything like this in my 10 years as a DJ”.

The 35-year-old, whose real name is Hwang So-hee, recounted the incident in English, Korean and Japanese.

“To communicate more closely with the fans, I always get closer to the fans at the end of the gig,” she wrote. “At that moment, several people suddenly touched my chest and I was helplessly sexually harassed by them.”

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by DJ SODA OFFICIAL (@deejaysoda)

She added: “I’m so embarrassed and humiliated that I can’t believe this incident has happened.”

In another post, DJ Soda hit back at netizens who blamed her for wearing revealing clothing.

“No matter what clothes I wear, sexual harassment and assault cannot be justified,” she wrote.

“I have the freedom to wear what I want to wear and no one can judge people by how (they) dress. My body is mine, not someone else’s. I like to wear revealing clothes and I will continue to wear them.”

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by DJ SODA OFFICIAL (@deejaysoda)

TryHard Japan, the organiser of the music festival, reacted to the incident in a statement on Tuesday.

It condemned the “criminal acts”, and said it planned to seek damages and file complaints against the perpetrators, Kyodo News reported.

“While providing maximum support to DJ Soda, who was victimised, we intend to identify the individuals responsible for this despicable crime and take legal measures, both civil and criminal,” it said, according to a translation by Kyodo.