On the 28th, ØHENRY presented himself as a witness in the video recording the incident, saying: “I am a witness that it was also in the video released (of the night of the accident).“
ØHENRY is gaining attention as an American singer of Nigerian descent with various R&B songs such as “Belong With Me”, “Put It Down”, “Worth It”, “Dominos” and “Every Day & Night”. He co-wrote the song “Love or Die” for The New Six, which ranked No. 14 on Billboard’s “Best K-Pop Songs of 2023” last year.
It appears that ØHENRY stepped in as a witness following allegations that Jessie was involved in the incident with the underage fan.
ØHENRY explained:I was invited by some friends in the music industry to meet at Courte Cafe in Gangnam. There I met a group of new friends for the first time, including Jessi. After the bar closed, we all decided to eat and relax. A group of at least 12 of us walked around looking for food, but we soon became separated. During this time, so many fans recognized Jessi and asked for photos, which she graciously obliged.“
He continued: “Since we were scattered, we decided to wait together until we could regroup. Many in the group were drunk, but Jessi and I were sober. We sat in front of a 7-Eleven until one of our friends found the rest of the group. Jessi said she never goes out and that this was her first outing in a long time. He expressed frustration at the intoxication of the group and the fact that we were lost.“
He further explained: “Soon a male fan, accompanied by two friends, approached Jessi and asked for a photo. Given the late hour, her tiredness, and the fact that Jessi was taking care of a drunk friend, Koala, she politely declined, explaining that she was tired. Despite her refusal, the fan persisted, asking several times “why?” in a way that could be considered harassing.“
ØHENRY also stated: “As we were about to leave, the man we had just met that night suddenly punched the fan. We were all shocked and confused by this unprovoked act of violence. Jessi was understandably terrified and anxious. None of us knew this man personally and we were baffled by his behavior. We later learned that he wasn’t even from Korea. Jessi did everything she could to keep the situation from escalating, but that man’s decision was outrageous.”
He added, “Jessi called her friend for help in distress and we met with him a block away at a restaurant (izakaya) to calm down and discuss the incident. We didn’t eat or drink, we just wanted to process what happened. Then the police came asking all of us for our documents and the Fan came in and said no, it wasn’t them and left,” emphasizing that their visit to the restaurant was not to drink but to resolve the situation.
ØHENRY said, “I put him on everything I love, he didn’t do anything wrong! I was there and saw everything first hand. We all met that night. How can she control a crazy grown man she doesn’t even know. You need to stop this narrative as if he is a bad person. It’s really a manipulation. Jessi, keep your faith and keep going!
In the early morning of September 28, an incident occurred in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, where an underage fan requested a photo with Jessie and was assaulted by a man believed to be part of Jessie’s entourage. After CCTV footage showed Jessie attempting to intervene before leaving the scene, some criticized her for abandoning her moral responsibility as the underage fan was attacked. As a result, Jessie recently showed up at the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul for questioning.
Jessie apologized twice. He stated“Although the accident occurred because of me, my actions, attitude and lack of response since the accident occurred have hurt many people, including the victim, and caused feelings of betrayal and anger. I regret it thousands and tens of thousands of times. I wish I could go back to that moment.” He expressed, “Now I will work to correct my mistakes and help the victim recover. It’s too late, but I ask for forgiveness once again. I was wrong.”
Instead, the assault victim responded via JTBC’s “Incident Director,” saying: “I don’t think Jessie seems to think very hard, and I think there’s a lack of sincerity in her use of the term moral responsibility.”
