The unfolding scandal surrounding Kim Jung Hoon, the older brother of BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, which involves horrific acts of violence, is shaping up to be one of the biggest controversies in the Korean entertainment industry in recent memory. Over the course of a year, Kim Jung Hoon has gone from facing anonymous accusations to nearly being arrested.

The first signs emerged back in May 2025. In Blind, an anonymous online community for office workers, a woman accused Kim Jung Hoon of filming an intimate video without her consent and sharing it with friends. After the suspect denied the allegations, the post was deleted and the incident was settled out of court.

On April 12, 2026, a female streamer (Ms. B.) held a lottery with an entry fee of about 10,000 won (approximately $6.76). Prizes included a dinner date and a selfie. Kim Jung Hoon reportedly bought 500 tickets, came in first, and won a dinner date and photos via KakaoTalk.

On April 14, 2026, Kim Jung Hoon and Ms. B. met for dinner at a restaurant in Gangnam. He then suggested they go to his home to continue drinking. Ms. B. repeatedly made it clear she refused any physical contact. Kim Jung Hoon promised he would never touch her and drove her to his home. Once there, he attempted to rape her — apparently unsuccessfully — and then left the scene intoxicated.

On April 15, 2026, the streamer filed a police report accusing Kim Jung Hoon of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (threats using video recordings and distribution of footage captured by camera, etc.).

On April 16, 2026, he was arrested by police on suspicion of coercion to commit lewd acts, charged with assault, and an arrest warrant was requested. During the arrest, Kim Jung Hoon claimed that “any physical contact was consensual,” while the victim’s side stated that “he forcibly restrained her and attempted to rape her.” Ms. B. also alleged that Kim Jung Hoon took photos of her body.

On April 17, 2026, the prosecution rejected the warrant and Kim Jung Hoon was released. The Seoul Prosecutors’ Office determined that there was insufficient evidence for the charges. Netizens were outraged upon learning of his release.

That same day, from 1:42 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Ms. B. received a series of messages from an unknown KakaoTalk account based in Hong Kong, containing her photos and a “hello” emoji. The account threatened that the photos would soon be published and demanded that she “resolve the situation” before the images spread online.

The streamer posted screenshots of the conversation online.

Ms. B.: Where did you get these photos?
Unknown: The photos will be published soon. Resolve this issue if you don’t want them to spread.
Ms. B.: How am I supposed to handle it?
Unknown: So the photos don’t get distributed.
Ms. B.: And how can I do that?
Unknown: You need to hide.
Ms. B.: I don’t understand. Please explain more clearly, and please don’t spread the photos.
Unknown: Your parents must be devastated. If you stop streaming and hide, we won’t distribute the photos.

Ms. B. was terrified. She believed someone was trying to kill her and even called her manager and the police.

April 18, 2026. A woman claiming to be the wife of Jisoo’s brother appeared online. She published a shocking three-page statement along with photos of her injuries. She accused him of systematic physical violence, forced sex, total control and isolation, as well as blackmail. Immediately after her post, inews24 deleted a 2025 article about the illegal filming incident, raising suspicions of an attempt to conceal information.

Excerpts from the wife’s statement:
(If you are strongly affected by descriptions of violence, please skip past the translation)

“Beatings and vicious verbal abuse began just two weeks after we registered our marriage. The days when physical and verbal violence occurred — it would usually last half a day. After the violence, I was always forced to have sex. (Once, he filmed me naked and forced me to swallow (...)) He beat me on the head with my old phone until it bent in half. He tortured me with water using a plastic bottle. He made me kneel naked and beg him, repeating ‘Sorry, sorry.’ If I didn’t respond within three seconds of his words, the abuse would start. ‘Three seconds have passed. The longer this goes on, the harder it will be for you, right? I must pay you back tenfold, no matter the cost. Tell me, what punishment should I give you?’ If I mentioned wanting a divorce or said I would report him to the police, he beat me like a dog.

At first he hit my body, but because it was summer and bruises were very visible, he focused on my head. He grabbed my hair and threw me to the floor, lifted my body and slammed me against the wall. I was caught recording him; he beat me and almost waterboarded me, but I begged for my life, so he just made me delete all the recordings.

He tore clothes, broke bracelets while beating me. I have to say ‘I love you’ at least 30 times a day. He says: ‘Say “I love you” again,’ repeat it. ‘How much do you love me? Do you love me? Why do you love me? Tell me what you like about me. Are you happy?’ He asks me every single day.

On November 21, after 5:30 a.m., my husband came to get me at my parents’ house (his driver’s license is suspended). After he got behind the wheel of my car, he started threatening me. When I said I would get out of the car, he grabbed my hair and cursed at me. Threats, gaslighting, strict control: he said he would beat me to death if I reported the assault to anyone, my family, or the police. He told me to just die.

‘I did it because I love you. Don’t you love me too? Do you love me or not? You’re not going to leave me, are you? Give your life for me. I want to live with someone who is ready to die for me.’

Even when I packed my things and went back to my parents’ house because it was too hard for me in Banpo, and then returned, he said: ‘Didn’t you know someone was watching you? Heh heh.’ He claimed that all our conversations were recorded on CCTV, and that he even saved audio recordings of everything I said about him on the phone — how I ‘trashed him.’

Since he had previously mentioned that our conversations were being recorded, I was scared and called my parents or friends from the bedroom or walk-in closet where there were no CCTV cameras. However, after hearing those words, I became even more frightened and called my family very rarely.

When I said, ‘Living like this is too hard, so I want a divorce and I’m going to report you to the police,’ he replied: ‘Heh heh, I’ve fabricated crimes for people like you and sent them to prison. In the end, you’ll probably beg me to let you off just this once. Try it if you can, ha ha,’ he said. ‘With money, you can fabricate non-existent crimes. My lawyer is incredibly competent. I’ve been handling lawsuits for three years, so dealing with someone like you is no problem for me. Besides, since I spent so much money on you, you’ll be branded a gold digger.’ He threatened me like that, so I was too afraid to report him to the police.

His ex-wife also admitted that she was the one who committed the assault. After my parents reported him to the police, he first sent me messages on KakaoTalk apologizing, asking if I wanted to give my husband a criminal record, promising he would never hit me again, and begging me to deny everything in my statement and immediately get the restraining order lifted. He kept persuading me like that for a whole week, so in the end I did as he said out of fear. However, after I finished giving my testimony, he came to court and told me to be careful, saying he would never forgive me for daring to report him, and that he would get back at me a hundredfold.

He often secretly checked my phone while I was sleeping. He deleted and altered data on my phone without my permission. Until 2025, he deleted my photos, changed profile pictures, nicknames on KakaoTalk, Danggeun Market and other apps, changed statuses, and checked my Safari/iCloud records, chat history, contact list, and blocked user list. He told me not to delete conversations with my parents or friends because he would check them.

He forbade me from exchanging more than two messages a day with my friends on KakaoTalk. He forbade me from deleting chat history with anyone, whether parents or friends, promising he would check it. He also made me set at least three couple photos as my KakaoTalk profile picture.

Nail art is forbidden; only pedicures are allowed. Clothing restrictions apply. When I was in Banpo, he ordered me to throw away all my cosmetics, shorts, and skirts (I did throw them away). Makeup restrictions apply.

He forbade me from attending classes if the academy instructor was male (he even visited the academy in person to check). I must carry my bag on only one shoulder; no crossbody straps. He claimed other men would stare at my cleavage. Going out was restricted (to the supermarket across from my house, to the gynecologist, dermatologist, or the academy). I have to call him every time I feel uncomfortable. I have to report what I’m doing every 10–30 minutes. I have to tell him where I go when I leave the house. He forcibly demanded we get matching tattoos with each other’s names, anniversaries, and dates. He said I would pay if I didn’t comply. Fortunately, I returned to my parents’ house a week before the scheduled time. There were CCTV cameras in Banpo, and even when we moved to Songdo, he installed CCTV cameras in the house without my consent. And only he checks the recordings. He installed them to monitor whether I leave the house or not. In December, I complained a lot and told him that a lawyer said it was illegal, and only then did he give me access to the CCTV. Now the access has been revoked again.

Forced sexual intercourse. He demanded it more than twice a day. Even when I resisted and said I didn’t want to, he stripped me naked and had sex with me. As a result, I constantly suffered from vaginitis and cystitis. Even after going to the hospital, he continued to force me, so I didn’t get better. He also forced me into anal sex. Is it possible to continue?”

This is truly horrifying reading, and what makes it so horrifying is that such accounts are all too typical — you can find similar descriptions from domestic violence victims in any country around the world.

After the publication, the scandal continues to gain momentum in the media and on social networks, with details of the allegations and possible connections to Jisoo being discussed.

It is known that Kim Jung Hoon is 37 years old. He is Jisoo’s older brother. Kim Jung Hoon got married first time in 2019. Among the wedding guests were members of BLACKPINK and Heechul from SUPER JUNIOR. After the wedding, twin daughters were born. Kim Jung Hoon often displayed his affection for his wife on social media, and videos of him playing with his daughters have appeared online. His family seemed happy and ideal. 

Kim Jung Hoon is the CEO of the baby food brand BioMom and, reportedly, a co-founder of Jisoo’s personal label BLISSOO. However, BioMom previously stated that it cannot comment on the relationship between BioMom and BLISSOO and is unaware of the CEO’s family ties, neither confirming nor denying those relationships.

BioMom’s slogan: “A mother’s heart wants to give only the most beneficial things.” In 2021, the company took first place in a consumer satisfaction contest. The company also states that part of its profits is regularly donated to orphanages and organizations working with single mothers.

The scandal has nonetheless directly affected Jisoo, and it is not yet known whether we are seeing the full extent of the risks, as the scandal is still in its early stages. The allegations do not involve the artist, but one can say with almost 100% certainty that Jisoo will experience the full negative impact. Although the victims themselves (the brother’s wife and the streamer) publicly asked the public not to redirect their anger away from Kim Jung Hoon and onto his sister, business projects cannot avoid being affected.

Read more: BLACKPINK’s Jisoo talks about how she runs her own agency BLISSOO

At the same time, neither Kim Jung Hoon, nor Jisoo, nor representatives of their companies BLISSOO and BioMom have made any statements yet. However, there is every chance the case will go to court, especially given public pressure.

While writing this overview, we thought that very soon we would have to see reactions along the lines that Jisoo “could not have not known.” After all, it’s her brother and her family. This is the same approach that once led people to be labeled “family members of traitors to the motherland” (because they couldn’t have not known). This is a completely false approach, based on nothing, and is entirely rejected by modern investigation and jurisprudence in countries where the rule of law prevails. It is entirely possible not to know. Nevertheless, on an everyday level, this phrase always arises among those who learn about violent crimes. And while we were reflecting on this topic, those familiar reactions have already appeared in the comments under the anonymous post of the “ex-wife”:

“Until now, he hid everything because of money. Don’t say J.S. didn’t know. He beat his ex-wife, and his whole family knew about it. He is still deleting last year’s articles about the hidden camera. He is a complete scumbag, but instead of cutting ties with him, he is being protected.”

“In the Netflix film “As You Stood By”, there is a scene where the policewoman sister and mother-in-law treat the daughter-in-law suffering from domestic violence at the hands of the older brother as if it’s none of their business and ignore her. In that film, it was satisfying to see karma catch up with them, but in reality...”

“How could an idol girl not have known? I don’t understand.”

“Ugh... given the situation, the family simply couldn’t have not known. It’s disgustingly horrible.”

“The family is also guilty for ignoring the situation even though the person is trash and harming others. They are not a poor or powerless family, so we wouldn’t have known about this if not for this incident, right?”

“I can’t look at J.S. anymore. And I really hope the victims are safe. I’m so worried about them...”

“That idol girl is also involved. She probably paid for everything out of her own pocket until now.”

And so on.

For now, these are just internet comments. We will see how the professional Korean press begins to cover this new twist in the case.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7