
Kris Wu, the former member of K-pop boyband EXO, has been formally arrested on suspicion of rape. Wu, who was first detained on August 1 for “repeatedly [luring] young women,” has faced a groundswell of public condemnation after sexual assault allegations arose online.
According to the Associated Press, the prosecutor’s office in Beijing, China issued a statement on August 16 to officially confirm the Chinese-Canadian popstar’s arrest. While the details of the charges have yet to be shared, the towering allegations against Wu have unraveled into the most high-profile #MeToo case to rock China.
In July, Du Meizhu, a 19-year-old college student, took to the social media platform Weibo to share the riveting details of her relationship with the 30-year-old singer-actor. According to Radii, the now-viral social media post recounted Wu’s infidelity and alleged that he used a WeChat account to solicit underage girls under false pretenses. Meizhu also revealed that “Mr. Wu’s unfaithful behavior” and “death threats from some of his fans” led her to wrestle with suicidal ideation.
Accompanying the post were alleged screenshots of Wu contacting underage girls. According to Meizhu, Wu falsely advertised that he was recruiting new artists and casting female leads for music videos. She said that he would later convince them into playing drinking games, “all while sweet talking: I’ll take care of you, I want to be with you.” Meizhu said some of the girls were under 18 but it isn’t know if any of them were younger than 14, China’s legal age of consent.
Following the revelations, Wu was faced with a flurry of terminations and suspensions from his brand endorsements, including Louis Vuitton, Porsche and Kans. In an official response to the controversy, he posted an official statement to Weibo in July, writing: “I declare that I met Miss Du only once at a gathering organized by a friend on 5 December 2020. There was no such thing as forced drinking, confiscation of phones, or any other details alleged in her stories.” He continued, “I would have sent myself to jail if I had committed any of these crimes.”