Nah Sang-hyun, the lead vocalist of the indie rock band Band Nah, who recently admitted to and apologized for sexually harassing a woman while drunk several years ago, has changed his mind: He now denies the allegations.

“The artist posted a statement [to his social media account] immediately after the allegations were made public at the time, under the intent of taking moral responsibility even before the facts had been fully verified,” the band’s agency, January, said in a statement Monday.

“The artist believed that it was better to address the controversy and offer an apology rather than stay silent.”

The agency said that Nah’s statement merely referred to a time that he had “reassessed and tried to improve his lifestyle habits due to increased alcohol consumption” and said that it only just realized that the statement was “misinterpreted as an admission of wrongdoing.”

The agency apologized for the misunderstanding and said it is currently consulting a legal expert, asking the public to refrain from reckless speculation or criticism.

In late May, an anonymous post surfaced on an online community site accusing Nah of habitually touching the thighs of women who sit next to him in a setting where alcohol was present. Nah then apologized in a statement, saying that although he “did not remember the specific circumstances,” he wanted to apologize to the victims directly.

“Around three to four years ago, I was called out for my behavior while under the influence and spent time reflecting on myself,” Nah said at the time. “I received help from my acquaintances and made consistent efforts to address the issue. I’ll make sure that nothing of the sort happens ever again.”

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]