For "severely violating socialist core values," the Beijing Police arrested over the weekend the notorious Uniqlo sex tape couple. Also detained are three other people involved in the video clip's production and distribution.
A 19-year-old man named "Sun" was charged with spreading obscene materials, according to LA Times. The woman, whom Sun reportedly met only in the Japanese clothing store in Beijing, has not been named. Their sex video became viral after it was leaked to WeChat and Weibo, but the two social media sites have removed the video, including comments about it.
The Cyberspace Administration of China is threatening to sanction the messenger app company and China's most popular microblogging site over the video. But Uniqlo, which has denied it orchestrated the video to boost sales, could be fined between $32,000 and $161,000, or 200,000 to 1 million yuan, if the police determines it was behind the production and release of the 71-second video clip, reports China Daily Asia.
There are speculations that the release of the video is part of Uniqlo's marketing strategy. However, the company denied the accusation in a statement released.
The scandal has led shoppers to visit the Uniqlo Beijing store only to gawk at the changing room where the couple shot their lovemaking session. A male Chinese shopper admitted to CNN on Wednesday that he had not heard of Uniqlo until the sex tape became viral and that he visited the store to see the infamous changing room.
The store as well as the changing room have become favorite selfie spots, while online searches for Uniqlo have spiked, reports Mashable.