K-pop star accused of assaulting girlfriend

Seoul - K-pop idol Kim Hyun Joong flew to Bangkok for a concert yesterday, despite allegations that he assaulted his girlfriend.

She pressed charges against him last Wednesday, saying he repeatedly used violence on her, The Korea Herald reported, citing local reports.

She claimed that she was hit several times while arguing with Kim over his issues regarding women.

She alleged that she suffered bruises last May and fractured ribs last month that required six weeks of medical treatment.

In a statement last Saturday, however, Kim's agency KeyEast denied that she was battered repeatedly over two months.

It said the couple had started dating only two months ago.

They had a fight recently, the agency admitted, but it was not the cause of the broken ribs, which were "injured when they were playing around previously", reported website allkpop.com.

Kim, known for his role in the 2009 Korean drama Boys Over Flowers and Playful Kiss in 2010, is to be summoned by the police soon, according to the Herald.

This article was first published on Aug 25, 2014.
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