Seoul – Former Big Bang member Seungri has been indicted on prostitution, oversees gambling and other financial criminal charges, a year after allegations were made against him.
On Fri (Jan 31), new developments were released about the ongoing drug and sex scandal investigation involving Seungri, who is also known as Lee Seung-Hyun.
The youngest former member of one of Asia’s best-selling boy bands in the world has been indicted on the charges that shook South Korea’s entertainment industry last year.
Two other singers were linked to the allegations which tarnished the clean image of the country’s K-pop industry.
Seungri has been accused of drugging women in clubs and offering them to wealthy potential investors. He was the part-owner and public relations liaison of a popular nightclub called Burning Sun in the Gangnam district.
It has been reported that the nightclub incurred over US$1 million (S$1.36 million) in gambling losses amidst other drug and sex-related abuses.
Soon after the victims stepped forward to testify, the K-pop idol retired from showbiz.
In an Instagram post, he wrote: “I just cannot bear causing any further damage to people around me, while being hated and criticised by the public and being treated as a nation’s enemy during the investigation.”
It is reported that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office indicted, without detention, Seungri on allegations of overseas gambling and acquiring prostitutes for investors.
The authorities are now a step closer to putting him on trial.
K-pop stars Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon were among those linked to the case. In November 2019, they were jailed for six years and five years respectively for offences such as gang-rape.
Singapore billionaire Peter Lim’s daughter Kim Lim and Korean A-list actress Han Hyo-Joo have also been mentioned in reports on the scandal. Ms Lim has stated that she had merely visited the club, while Han has said that she has never set foot there.
Both women have filed lawsuits against Seungri and Burning Sun. Han is also suing those who have spread false rumours connecting her to the club. /TISG
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