A Korean-American engineer at NASA has been accused of sexually assaulting women for years.
The man most notably made global headlines in 2012 when he starred in a video parodying Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ with NASA rocket scientists.
On April 3, Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Texas announced that NASA engineer Eric Sim, 37, has been charged with four additional counts of sexual assault.
Previously, the Houston Police Department had arrested Sim on February 29 on suspicion of sexually assaulting two women at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in the Houston area.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, between 2019 and 2022, Sim sexually assaulted six women he met through dating apps, including Hinge, EastMeetEast, and OkCupid, and threatened to release videos of their sexual encounters if the victims report him to police.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg called Sim a “serial sex predator” at a press conference on April 3.
“We believe there may be additional victims given that he approached women using his employment with NASA and his frequent international travels to Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada,” Ogg said. “He is currently free on $600,000 bail, but has been ordered by the court to remain under 24-hour house arrest.”
At the time of his arrest, the Houston police reportedly executed a search warrant and recovered evidence from Sim’s residence, including items belonging to the victims.
The investigation began through social media platforms where victims of sexual assault share their experiences.
“One of the victims reported that she was sexually assaulted while drugged and unconscious,” said Harris County Prosecutor Jenna Oswald. “Sim’s alleged crimes are extremely predatory, and I urge women who have been victimized to have the courage to come forward and contact law enforcement.”
“All of the relationships were consensual,” said attorney Neil Davis, who is representing Sim, adding, “The women are making false allegations and we will prove our innocence to the jury.”
According to NASA, Sim had worked as an engineer for nine years. “At the time of his arrest, we cooperated fully with law enforcement,” NASA said in a statement. “NASA will take appropriate action (against Sim) based on the results of the investigation,” the agency said.
Sim had interned at NASA in 2012 while attending North Carolina State University. At the time, he created and starred in a video parodying Gangnam Style as ‘NASA Johnson Style’ with NASA astronauts, Johnson Space Center representatives, scientists, and interns. The video gained global attention with over 8.6 million views.
BY YEOL JANG, HOONSIK WOO [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
