KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 ― Beijing has approved the arrest of Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu on Monday over allegations of rape.
Quoting a statement from the People's Procuratorate of Beijing's Chaoyang district, AFP reported that Wu's arrest on suspicion of rape has been approved.
The 30-year-old, whose Chinese name is Wu Yifan, had been under custody by police since July 31.
Wu, who shot to fame as a member of the K-pop boyband EXO, before leaving in 2014 to launch a successful solo career as a singer, actor, model and variety show judge.
He was accused by influencer Du Meizhu that he had date-raped when she was 17.
Following Du's allegations, more women had come forward to accuse Wu's staff of predatory behaviour including inviting them to karaoke parties where they were given alcohol.
This led to a string of luxurious brands such as Louis Vuitton, Porsche and Bulgari to stop collaborating with him.
Wu's saga has evoked China's #MeToo movement, which saw a wave of women come forward in 2018 voicing experiences of sexual harassment ― sometimes involving powerful public figures.
The China Association of Performing Arts in a statement said violating the law and having a negative influence on society as a top celebrity was “intolerable for the industry”.
“After legal actions have concluded, the artist involved in this case, Wu Yifan, will also face continued employment boycotts and other punishments imposed by the industry,” the group added.
“Artists and management companies should take this case as a warning.”
