The K-Pop Idol Who Was Kidnapped And Sexually Assaulted For A Hidden Camera Prank

Many Korean variety shows feature pranks to entertain both viewers and guests, but in one controversial show, these “pranks” took a dark turn.

Simon Jakops (center) with two men acting as kidnappers

Simon Jakops (also known as JAKOPS) is a Korean-Japanese singer-songwriter and producer under XGALX, who used to be a member of the boy group DMTN (also known as Dalmatian). The group debuted in 2010, went on hiatus in 2013, and reunited in 2020 to celebrate their 10th anniversary with the song “Never Forget.”

Simon Jakops | XGALX

Before his debut, Simon guested on Humilating Flower Boys (also known as Shame! Along the Handsome Men), a hidden camera show that aired on Mnet from 2007 to 2008. The show aimed to embarrass handsome male non-celebrity guests by placing them in uncomfortable situations through extreme pranks. The female audience would vote before the hidden camera prank to rank the guests based on their visuals. Then, after the prank, they would vote again to choose which guest handled the prank best. The guest with the most points was crowned the winner.

When Simon appeared on the show, he was kidnapped by men who blindfolded him, intimidated him during the drive, and held him captive by tying him to a chair.

A woman, who played the part of an obsessed stalker and the henchmen’s boss, then entered the room and asked Simon if he was afraid. He said he was.

The woman began to touch Simon, telling him that she loved him, and she flirted by asking him to guess her age. When he began looking in the hidden camera’s direction, she shouted at him, scolded him, and demanded he pay attention to her.

Simon told the woman whatever she wanted to hear as her behavior escalated.

She continued to touch Simon, applied lipstick to him, and asked him to kiss both her cheeks…

…then her mouth. Simon hesitated, but eventually gave her a peck on the lips that the show replayed in slow motion.

Simon’s reaction to the kiss

Afterwards, the woman asked him to propose to her and pushed him to tell her he loved her.

The “prank” reached its peak when the woman brought in a fake gun and threatened Simon as he begged her to spare him. She counted down and pulled the trigger before wheeling Simon out of the room and revealing that the kidnapping was an elaborate prank.

After the prank was revealed, Simon spoke to the host, Epik High‘s Mithra Jin, jokingly telling him that he had been worried the “kidnapper” would push him even further.

Though Simon laughed off the prank, viewers were far less forgiving.

Watch the prank here: