The big news in Korea these past few months and ramping up over the past few days has revolved around Seungri of famous K-Pop group Big Bang. An investigation uncovered a prostitution ring, stars filming their sex lives with hidden cameras, drugging and rapes in VIP rooms of clubs and a group chat where members shared videos of their conquests. There’s a lot to unpack here so I’m going to try to help you out by trying to condense it as much as I can.
Seungri or Lee Seung-hyun rose to fame in the mid-2000s with South Korea boy band Big Bang which was created under YG Entertainment. Big Bang became one of the most successful bands in Asia. They were probably one of the original K-Pop groups. He was one of 5 members. Others being T.O.P., Taeyang, Daesung and the still somewhat famous G-Dragon.
It all started back in January when a man named Mr. Kim says he was assaulted by staff at Burning Sun nightclub which Seungri allegedly managed. Mr. Kim says he was trying to save a woman. CCTV footage recovered from the club showed a woman being sexually assaulted by a man. The woman Mr. Kim claimed he was saving says he was sexually harassing her.
Burning Sun staff had a group chat going on where they were talking about finding drunk girls and bringing them into VIP rooms so VIP clients could have sex with them. They’d watch it on CCTV. Police then raid the club.
At this point, not much. Most of the people involved have downplayed his role. At this point, they say he’s just a consultant. He eventually apologized to fans at his solo concert mid-February. However, police begin investigating him and other executives of the club.
SBS funE, a station in South Korea, release texts from 2015 between Seungri, CEO Yoo of Yuri Holdings and an employee. In it, there is a strong implication that they were hiring escorts for foreign investors at another club called Club Arena. YG pulls a Donald Trump and says these texts are fake. FAKE TEXTS! Police launch an investigation anyway.
Internal documents from Burning Sun show Seungri invested 225 million won in the club and is listed as one of four executive directors. At this point, Seungri was found to have promoted another club in Hongdae which is owned by YG and suspected of tax evasion. Three more clubs are then accused of tax evasion as well.
Police search Club Arena and find evidence of pimping. Seungri along with three or four other people in that chat group were arrested.
On March 11, SBS funE is at it again reporting on a KakaoTalk chatroom which included Seungri, Jung Joon Young (a variety show star), two male singers, CEO Yoo of Yuri Holdings, two regular people and Mr. Kim. Mr. Kim was sharing video from hidden cameras where some were of him having sex with women who didn’t know they were being filmed.
Jung Joon Young was immediately dropped by many of the shows he worked on.
On March 13, Jung Joon Young admits to the hidden camera videos and apologizes. YG Entertainment then terminate their contract with Seungri.
In the group chat, it’s reported that FTISLAND’s Choi Jong Hoon used his connections to cover up a drunk driving incident in 2016 and paid off the cops. It’s also reported that a police officer in charge of Jung Joon Young’s illegal filming case from 2016 asked a forensics company to lie about being unable to restore his phone.
Choi Jong Hoon left DC FTISLAND, Young Junhyung left HIGHLIGHT after admitting he knew about Jung Joon Young’s hidden camera footage, Commissioner General Min Gap Ryong will investigate corruption in the police force as well as investigate clubs in South Korea for drugs, sexual assault and hidden camera videos. Lee Jong Hyun of another group, CNBLUE, was also revealed to be sharing hidden camera videos with Jung Joon Young.
The fact that the people involved are huge celebrities, that these reports destroy the image of clean cut boy bands in Korea and it involves corrupt cops and you’ll kind of get why this is becoming a pretty big deal. Producers are probably already trying to make a Korean drama out of this.