Rain counters swindling allegation against late mother

SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Yonhap) — K-pop star Rain on Wednesday countered a money-swindling accusation raised against her late mother, hinting at taking a legal action against the accuser.

On Monday, an Internet user alleged in a posting at a popular online community that Rain’s mother borrowed 25 million won (US$22,176) worth of rice and cash from the writer’s parents on several occasions in the late 1980s but refused to pay them back despite the parents’ repeated demand and eventually severed contact with them.

The accusation put Rain under fire after two other artists — rappers Microdot and Dok2 — were also embroiled in public criticism for their dealings with swindling charges raised against their parents.

A day later, Rain’s management agency, Rain Company, said the singer will meet with the accuser to verify the claim and settle the issue, but the accuser again argued in a media interview the same day that Rain’s family coldly turned down the demand for repayment when the accuser went to meet with Rain.

“With regard to the article posted on the online community, (Rain Company’s) chief and Rain’s father met with the people concerned and tried to talk about the issue,” the management agency said in a new press statement Wednesday.

But Rain’s side couldn’t verify the existence of the transaction’s formal documents the accuser claimed to have, the company said.

Instead, the opposition side only used verbal abuse and demanded 100 million won to settle the issue, the company said, adding, “We judged that this was not fair.”

“Rain plans to take moral responsibility as a son and fully repay the exact amount of debts that are verified through fair procedures,” according to the firm.

But the company will also take all the possible legal action, both civil and criminal, to recover the honor of Rain and his family, Rain Company said in reaction to the accuser’s press interview.

“The malicious expressions in the interview, such as running away, swindling and giving a cold shoulder, gravely damaged the honor of Rain’s father and late mother, not to mention Rain himself,” the company said.