Ko Young-wook (third from left) enters the Seoul Western District Court on Thursday. (Yonhap News)

Singer Ko Young-wook, who is accused of sexually molesting a minor, was detained by the authorities on Thursday.

The Seoul Western District Court’s judge Lee Dong-geun approved the application for the warrant to detain the 37-year-old singer, saying there was a risk of Ko fleeing or destroying evidence.

Ko, who was booked without detention last year for allegedly sexually assaulting three minors, is accused of molesting a 13-year-old middle-school student in December.

The singer allegedly lured the girl into his car in Seoul and made inappropriate contact. The Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office is investigating Ko for the most recent case along with previous incidents.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)