Chinese-Canadian Kpop Singer Kris Wu Arrested on Suspicion of Rape
On Monday night, the People’s Procuratorate in Beijing’s Chaoyang District approved the arrest of Kpop star Kris Wu.
Wu was criminally detained by Beijing police for “repeatedly cheating young girls for sex,” and was arrested on August 16 on suspicions of rape. Some lawyers indicate that although Wu is a Chinese-Canadian, he must serve his sentence in China if convicted.
“The approval of the arrest by the prosecutor implies that Wu is now officially under arrest. The Procuratorate found him suspected of criminal offences, signifying there is little possibility of Wu Yifan [Kris Wu] being released now. Next, it is highly likely that the Procuratorate will file an indictment against him after further review if no exceptional circumstances arise,” Wang Guangying, a Beijing-based lawyer, told National Business Daily.
Wu was accused last month of raping a 19-year-old webcam celebrity Meizhu Du when she was 17 years old. The victim said that Wu invited girls to a drinking party under the excuse of casting a female lead in a music video or signing a new recruit to the studio, and then he raped them after pressuring them to drink excessive amounts of alcohol. Wu had sex with at least seven other girls younger than 18 in similar situations, she said. After Du, several other female victims posted their experiences online. Wu has been condemned by public opinion on Chinese social media for this scandal.
SEE ALSO: Who Is Still Supporting Tarnished Superstar Kris Wu?
In early August, a wave of major corporate brands involved with Wu terminated their cooperation with him, including Porsche China. Louis Vuitton announced the suspension of cooperation on the evening of July 19th, attracting some public criticism, then officially announced the termination of cooperation on July 23rd.
As of the evening of August 16th, domestic video websites iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video have removed all film and television works cast by Wu, and music platforms such as QQ Music and Netease Cloud Music have also removed Wu’s music works. As early as the evening of August 1, the Weibo accounts of Wu and his studios were blocked.
Born in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 30-year-old Wu Yifan is a Chinese-Canadian, growing up in Guangzhou and Vancouver. As one of the most popular public figures in recent years, Wu’s strong fan appeal enabled him and the capital investments betting on him to reap the dividends of being a celebrity. The Forbes China Celebrity List in 2017 showed that Wu Yifan’s annual earnings reached $150 million, ranking 10th on the list.
