Major public events have axed entertainer Aaron Yan (炎亞綸) from their programs, including the Beer Rock Festival in Kaohsiung and the Taiwan International Balloon Festival in Taitung County, following allegations of sexual misconduct that have also cost him several commercial endorsements.
The Public Television Service network has also terminated its contract with Yan, who was the host of a current affairs show, and the Ministry of Culture reportedly dropped him as the host of the annual Golden Bell Awards for television and radio in October.
This follows earlier moves by organizations such as the Taiwan’s Junior Chamber International, which withdrew its recognition of Yan as one of “Ten Outstanding Young Persons” last year.
Photo: Hu Shun-hsiang, Taipei Times
Yan, 37, began his career in 2005 as a member of the Taiwanese boy band Fahrenheit (飛輪海) and expanded in acting, attracting a huge following at home, as well as China and Southeast Asian countries.
Public prosecutors have initiated a probe into allegations of exploitation of a minor and secretly filming a sexual partner, Internet celebrity Chiu Yao-le (邱耀樂), who was 16 at the time.
As speculation swirled about the allegations, Chiu, who uses the nickname Raku on YouTube, convened a press conference in Taipei on Wednesday, but Yan upstaged it by barging into the event, and bowing twice in apology to Chiu.
Chiu, who broke down in tears and did not look at Yan, later said he could not accept the apology.
After that, Yan lost several commercial endorsements, including food delivery service UberEats, cosmetics and clothing companies.
The Taitung County Government said it has replaced Yan as the closing ceremony performer of its hot balloon festival at the end of August, saying that Yan’s involvement in the sexual harassment allegations “does not conform to the event’s image of positive energy, sunshine and health fitness.”
The organizers of Kaohsiung’s Beer Rock Festival also dropped Yan from his scheduled performance on July 8.
The #MeToo allegations have also spread to academic circles, with two teachers at National Taiwan College of Performing Arts being suspended from classroom and administrative work as of yesterday.
The Taipei-based college convened a committee meeting after students filed complaints of sexual assault by Lee Tung-chun (李菄峻), dubbed the “Prince of Hakka Opera” (客家戲曲王子), and another teacher surnamed Wang (王).
Lee had previously been involved in a controversy, when he was identified as the teacher in a 2017 video physically assaulting students at his opera class.
He was seen in the video hitting a female student in the head, then knocking her to the ground with a flying kick. He apologized in public and received a major demerit as punishment.
Lee has denied the sexual harassment allegations, saying they were trying to tarnish his reputation with false accusations.
Lee was accused of sexual assault, according to a public post at a site frequented by the theatrical school community. Former male students alleged that when they were asked to go to Lee’s house for acting lessons years ago, he had groped them or forced them to engage in sexual acts.
Lee said he has hired a lawyer to file a defamation lawsuit, but vowed to cooperate with the investigation to clear his name.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
RSS