New York pianist Min Suh is cleared of sex assault

In March last year, Hyung-Min Suh made tabloid headlines when he was arrested for allegedly molesting a female pupil inside his Lincoln Center teaching room.

The local tabloids had a field day with the salacious details, some of them deposed in emails before the court. Hyung-Min Suh was 22 at the time of the alleged incidents. His pupil was 16.

The case, we learn, never went to trial.

The original six charges – including sexual harassment, harassment, etc. were dropped by the prosecution on October 6, 2014. In order to achieve swift closure, Hyung-Min Suh was advised by his attorney to plead guilty to non-criminal, non-sexual harassment (code 240.26). The court accepted his plea and granted a conditional discharge. This leaves Hyung-Min Suh with no criminal record.

What passed between the pianist and his pupil behind closed doors at the Lincoln Center must remain obscure, but they were fairly close in age and apparently in conflict over a number of issues. The only determinable outcome is that Hyung-Min Suh was not guilty of sexual misconduct.

It is important the matter should be reported since a tabloid newspaper has refused to take down its original article and the pianist’s prospects are being damaged by its allegations, which have been dismissed by the court.

Hyung-Min Suh (pictured right) makes his first appearance this week in Britain, at a piano competition in Manchester. The judges there should take care not to be prejudiced by what might come their way in an online search. Hyung-Min Suh is innocent, ok?