SEATTLE — The sexual assault allegations involving seven current and former Cornell University students are drawing comparisons to Korea’s Burning Sun scandal, with parallels focusing on private group chats and questions of institutional accountability. The Cornell case centers on allegations that a female student was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple members of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024. A civil lawsuit filed last month names seven current and former students, including Winston Lee, whose ties to Korea have drawn particular attention in Korean and Korean American online communities. Burning Sun erupted in 2019 as one of Korea’s most notorious scandals in recent years, growing from allegations surrounding a Seoul nightclub into a sprawling case involving prostitution, sexual violence, illegally filmed and shared sexual videos, gambling and allegations of police corruption. One of the most visible parallels is the role of private group chats. Burning Sun-related investigations exposed group chats in which celebrities and others shared illegally filmed sexual vi