Former EXO member Kris Wu formally arrested in China for alleged rape

August 18, 2021

Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu, a former member of the K-pop boy band EXO, has been formally arrested in China on suspicion of rape.

The prosecutor’s office of the Beijing district of Chaoyang said Monday that the arrest of Wu Yi Fan, the legal Chinese name for the singer, has been formally approved. The office gave no further details of his charges.

This undated file photo shows Chinese-Canadian pop star and former boy band EXO member Kris Wu. (Yonhap)

This undated file photo shows Chinese-Canadian pop star and former boy band EXO member Kris Wu. (Yonhap)

Wu’s arrest followed an announcement by Beijing police on July 31 that they took the 30-year-old singer into criminal custody on rape charges after looking into allegations that he seduced and had sex with female minors multiple times.

Under the Chinese law system, an arrest is approved when there is evidence of a crime, a possibility of the suspect being punished by imprisonment and a certain social risk.

The latest move increased the singer’s chance of being indicted and getting criminal punishment.