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'Scared...': Hyojeong Park, harassed Korean vlogger, after accused get bail
Hyojeong Park said the attack had left her with a 'tainted' impression of India but that she still loved parts of the country.
South Korean video blogger Hyojeong Park - who was sexually harassed in Mumbai last week - confessed Wednesday she is afraid to go live on social media after news the two men who assaulted her had been given bail.
Hyojeong shared a screenshot from a news website confirming their bail and tweeted: "Scared to go live today. Will I be okay?"
On Tuesday a city court granted the two accused bail on cash bonds of ₹15,000 each. Their lawyer, Zamir Khan, was quoted by news agency PTI as saying they were also required to co-operate police. The accused - identified as Mobeen Chand Mohammad Shaikh and Mohammad Naqeeb Sadrealam Ansari from Bandra - were sent to police custody for 24 hours after their arrest.
Anger over the sexual assault erupted after a video of Hyojeong - who was filming a live video on social media at the time - was shared online.
The 60-second video showed a young man grabbing Hyojeong's hand.
She protests and manages to keep her calm as he draws closer, and repeatedly dodges unwelcome advances. As the video plays out, she tries to walk away.
READ | On camera: Foreign national harassed in Mumbai during live stream
Her attacker returns, this time with another person on a two-wheeler, and offers her a lift, saying, 'come, this seat', to which she replies her vehicle is nearby.
Hyojeong later tweeted: "Last night on stream, there was a guy who harassed me. I tried my best not to escalate the situation… he was with his friend... some said it was initiated by me being too friendly and engaging the conversation..."
She also acknowledged the police had been quick to react and that she intended to return to India at some point despite this episode.
"While this incident has tainted my memory (of India), I still love India and will return..." she said, after a flood of apologies from other Indians.
There was one other video that Hyojeong shared - a lunch with the young men who rushed to her aid that night, including the Twitter user who called police attention to her attack and another who rushed to her aid on the street.
READ | South Korean YouTuber's lunch with 'Indian heroes' | Videos
"Lunch with two Indian gentlemen who help me to post the video and save me on the street. Aditya and Atharva," Park tweeted with a photo.
With input from PTI
