Big Bang’s Seungri accused of a Prostitution Ring involvement

PHOTO: MUSIC MATTERS LIVE

One member of South Korea’s biggest boy groups is facing charges, that he procured sex workers for foreign investors at several nightclubs in Seoul’s upmarket Gangnam district.

Lee Seung-hyun also known as Seungri, is the youngest member of Big Bang, the K-pop group who count rap star G-Dragon among their members. The 28-year-old denies the allegations, but says he has retired from entertainment because the scandal has gotten too big for both his band and his record label, YG Entertainment.

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“It would be better for me to retire from the entertainment scene at this point,” Seungri wrote on Instagram. “As this scandal is too big, I have decided to retire. As for the ongoing investigation, I will take it seriously to clear myself of all the allegations. I give my heartfelt, sincere thanks to fans at home and abroad who gave their love for the past 10 years, and I think this should be it for the sake of the reputation of YG and Big Bang.”

Prostitution is illegal in South Korea, and the charges against Seungri carry a prison sentence of up to three years. Police are investigating claims that the Burning Sun nightclub, where Seungri was a public relations director, was involved in illegal drug use, sexual assaults, and police corruption, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap. Police has already arrested three to four suspects in connection with a KakaoTalk chat that included messages about finding prostitutes for Seungri’s business clients. They will all be brought in for questioning by the police. Police has also searched Club Arena for more evidence.

As of now, Seungri will be considered a suspect in the prostitution ring that is happening in clubs.

 

by Cameron Arciaga