Ex-BIGBANG Member Seungri Jailed 3 Years For Prostitution And Illegal Gambling Overseas
Following the court verdict, many netizens said the K-pop star's punishment was too light.
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Former K-pop star Seungri has been sentenced to three years' jail — for his involvement in prostitution and gambling-related offences — on Thursday, 12 August
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), the former BIGBANG member — whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun — was sentenced by a military court after a lengthy investigation into the Burning Sun nightclub scandal in Seoul, South Korea.
Lee was found guilty in all nine counts for facilitating prostitution for potential investors in his business and using illegal foreign exchanges while gambling at luxurious casinos in Las Vegas, USA.
The Guardian reported that Lee was ordered to pay KRW1.15 billion (about RM4.1 million) in restitution.
The 30-year-old former singer denied most charges during the court proceedings.
Lee (centre) speaking outside the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul, South Korea in March 2019.
Image via Ahn Young-joon/AP
"It is hard to see the defendant was not aware of financial payments paid to the women for sex," judge Hwang Min-je was quoted as saying by local media.
"It appears that he carried out systematic sexual prostitution."
The military court implicated that Lee had arranged sexual favours for foreign investors on multiple occasions in collusion with his business partner Yoo In-suk and benefited from such arrangements, reported SCMP, citing a local media.
Last month, military court prosecutors reportedly said Lee had "shown no remorse and shifted blame to other people despite enjoying large benefits from his crimes".
The verdict yesterday came one month ahead of Lee's discharge from his mandatory military service.
Lee (centre) speaking outside the High Court in Seoul, South Korea in May 2019.
Image via AFP via SCMP
Meanwhile, the public's reaction to the verdict yesterday saw many netizens questioning why Lee received such a light sentence, reported The Guardian.
"While it is fortunate he is finally being jailed, the term is too short," commented a user on Naver, South Korea's largest portal.
"It should've been 30 years, not three," said another netizen.
Lee started out as a K-pop star with his BIGBANG bandmates in 2006
The five-man group, signed under YG Entertainment, went on to become one of Asia's most prominent idol groups.
Following the revelation of the Burning Sun nightclub scandal in January 2019, YG Entertainment chief executive Yang Hyun-suk stepped down from his post as he was under criminal investigation for the same scandal and other illicit gambling offences.
Other artistes involved in the scandal, such as soloist Jung Joon-young and FT Island's Choi Jong-hoon, were sentenced to jail for sexual assaults and rape.
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