The chatlogs also revealed that Seungri took part in habitual gambling overseas. In addition to this, a suspicious flow of funds was discovered at ClubBurning Sun. On March 15, Seungri and Jung Joon Young completed their respective 16-hour and 21-hour investigations and returned home. In 2018, tens of thousands of women protested illicit hidden-camera footage under the banner of My Life Is Not Your Porn. Filming women (or men) without their consent is such a serious issue in Korea that you cannot buy a cell phone that doesnt make a shutter sound when you take a photo, Saeji said. The exact amount continues to be under investigation. When a VIP is successful in the rape of a woman, they are more likely to come back to the club. The clubs security guards held Kim Sang Kyodown and helped Mr. Jang to beat him. They also stated that Choi Jonghoon was called to the police station for questioning as a witness, not a suspect. Students at the Washington D.C.-area college reportedly began a petition to get the star suspended or potentially expelled,due to the disgusting and illegal nature of these allegations. Upon reaching out for a statement, Georgetowns media relations team told Billboard that, Georgetown refrains from commenting on individual students in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The representative then offered this statement: Georgetown is committed to making sure that reported cases of sexual misconduct are investigated and responded to promptly and thoroughly. After revealing the identity of the woman, he is said to have made comments on the womans body along with other members of the group chat. This scandal demonstrates how women are being treated as objects in Korean society, said CedarBough Saeji, a postdoctoral fellow in Korean studies at University of British Columbia and a scholar of contemporary Korean culture. In response to these rumors, Zico asserted that the golden phone he referred to had nothing to do with this case. He emerged from the District Court at 12:18 pm after approximately 1 hour and 48 minutes. (A more extensive fan translation was posted on Reddit.). I think most stars, anywhere in the world, enjoy privilege and feel entitled to all sorts of indecent activities, Lie said. April 28: Police questioned Park about drug usage. In this picture, the daughter of Mr. A, who Seungri is suspected of arranging sexual favors for, is pictured. Label SJhas released their official statement aboutKangin, stating that he was temporarily in one of Jung Joon Youngs chatrooms, but he did not film or distribute illegal videos. They would do it. At the Burning Sun club, the most elite guests were deemed "VVIPs." These VVIPs were entitled to an array of services by club staff, including obtaining women for sexual purposes. According to SBSs report, the reality was much different. I treated it as something that is not a big deal, without thinking that it was a crime and an illegal act. Kim Sang Kyos assault took place approximately 6 hours after Hyoyeons performance. The biggest news in South Korea remains the Burning Sun scandal. It was not a decision that had been made after consulting with the agency. In late February, a conversation that occurred in a chatroom between Seungri,singer C,President YooofYoori HoldingsandEmployee Kimcame to light. Despite these claims,a former manager at Burning Club denied that drugs could have been used on premises. March 6: Kukinews reported that YG founder Yang Hyun Suk and his brother, Yang Min Suk, owned a club called Love Signal. The Burning Sun scandal shows that such predatory entitlement permeates even into the realm of elite K-pop stars. She has been suspected of using Burning Sun as a location for money laundering as well. Jang, who starred in the K-drama TV hit Boys over Flowers, killed herself in 2009, leaving a seven-page note identifying 20 of the men allegedly involved, including influential figures in the entertainment and media industry. Are there no young and pretty and nice bitches? A sea ride with Australias Indo-Pacific Endeavour, Mahathirs tilt to China smooths the way for Beijing in Southeast Asia, Australia and B21 bombers: less bang for the buck, The prospects for Chinas postCovid-19 economy, Ear worms for The Interpreters 2021 favourites. They shaped a generation of young fans and helped K-pop cross over to America. She soon started foaming in the mouth and collapsed. I responded, Why do you keep cursing at me? As an artist management company, we admit that we have not managed our artists as thoroughly as we should, and we are deeply reflecting on that. The exchange suggests that Jung Joon Young was waiting for CEO Yoo to send prostitutes over to his place. But I truly dont think this is an industry problem as much as it is a societal problem.. The scandal is known as Burning Sun, after the ritzy Gangnam-district nightclub where many of the alleged crimes took place. Choi Jonghoon finished his questioning with the police and was declared to have no suspicious connection with the sexual entertainment case. Some messages allegedly discussed raping women at the club. Senior Superintendent Yoon has also been charged with leaking official secrets. He was not part of the main chatroom, but he had knowledge of Jungs illegal camera footage. In an attempt to get to the bottom of the case and attempt to clear Seungri of the suspicions surrounding him, we have booked Seungri as a suspect for the allegations of him soliciting prostitution in order to receive a search warrant for the club ARENA, which is accused of allowing prostitution inside its venue. A post shared by HIGHLIGHT (@bigbadboii) on Mar 13, 2019 at 7:01pm PDT. In it, he admitted to all that he had been accused of. Seungri explained that the woman, whom he does not know, asked to take a picture with him. Though she was arrested regarding recent usage, she allegedly did drugs with an employee from Burning Sun in 2015, tying her to the case. When news reports claimed that FTISLANDsChoi Jonghoon and CNBLUEsLee Jonghyun were involved in Jung Joon Youngs chatrooms, FNC Entertainment issued a statement to clarify the situation. They would get it. In February,32 investigators brought out 4 boxes of potential evidence from the club. (As of March 23, the CNBLUE member remains at FNC.). Likewise, you need to understand the triangular mafia in Korea of celebrities, businessmen and public authorities to fully understand Korea. He reportedly told the members of the chatroom to change their phones shortly after it was revealed on March 11 that the members of the chatroom shared illegally filmed videos with each other. She said she asked (Jung Joon Young) to take it upon himself to erase it. On March 14, Yung Junhyung announced that he will be leaving HIGHLIGHT. When my bleeding turned from bright red to yellowish, Sergeant Ha Jin Woong told the other policemen, Take a video of this f*cker spitting mucus so we can jail him for interference with a government officials duties.. Dispatch reported that the chats where Seungri allegedly talks about soliciting prostitution were held in this same chatroom. Two days later, another singer,Eddy Kim, was added to the growing list of chatroom participants. In it, she spoke about how she met 4-5 of Jung Joon Yungs victims, who were all in their early 20s at the time of the incident. of Sexual Crimes, reported the Korea Herald. The superintendent was later booked by the police. SMPA announced its cybercrime unit had begun investigating about 200 media industry insiders, including reporters and producers, who had participated in a chat that shared sexual footage shot illegally allegedly at Burning Sun. He is said to have also watched the illegally filmed videos that others shared in the chatroom. KCON, the annual confab for K-Pop fans and scholars in downtown L.A. and New York, will likely address the Burning Sun causes and fallout for years to come. It was also announced that Superintendent Yoon submitted a business and personal cell phone to the police as part of their investigations. In 2016, Zico revealed on Radio Star that Jung Joon Young had a Golden Phone that he would only use for KakaoTalk. After Seungri requested to postpone his military enlistment, Koreas Military Manpower Administration announced plans to amend the law to prevent people from enlisting to escape from reality.. In another conversation, the staff discussed watching sex occur in the VIP room while recording it. Ha Jin Woong pushed my head to the ground using his knees and grabbed my hair. During investigations, Jung Joon Young handed in his golden phone to police. This chatroom contained the 8 members who were previously revealed, including: Seungri, Jung Joon Young, a 2nd male singer C, Mr. Kim, Mr. Yoo, and 2 other individuals, identified as H and G. More than what I can say now, I will participate in the investigations truthfully. He first apologized for his actions, and once again stated how no one will believe him, even if he tells the truth. Seungri stressed that he simply wanted to find women to accompany the guests in question and says he was only treating them well to collect the 2 billion won (~$1.75 million USD) that he invested in them. On the same day that the press conference took place, Reporter Kang Kyung Yoon revealed a new chat log that showcased Seungris direct knowledge of the polices involvement in turning a blind eye to wrongdoings, such as the DUI. The investigation into Jang Jayeons sexual abuse case was extended for another two months. On the same say, over 20 police and digital forensics agents searched and seized club ARENA, looking for any evidence that may be related to the case. In response, the news broadcaster reported that the whistleblower who discovered the chat bypassed the police. Choi Jonghoon was only called to the police station to help their investigations as a witness. TV Chosun reported that police received testimony from a source at Burning Sun that Seungri took drugs. The Burning Sun was a popular club. After a month of investigation into his death, it was declared case closed with authorities ruling suicide as . A technician reportedly discovered multiple chats on Jung Joon-youngs phone after the singer sent it in for repairs. March 7: MBC challenged Seungris Feb. 2 statement claiming that he was not involved in Burning Suns management from the start. Dont let the public or press know about this. April 6: Hwang Ha-na, granddaughter of Namyang Dairy products founder Hong Du-yeong and known for beingtheformer fiancee of singer-actor Park Yoochun, was arrested for suspected drug dealing and usage. Additionally, Seungri was accused of knowing about the incident. For the first time in my life, I felt belittled and shamed. It really disturbs me that some of the women spoken about in the chats between Seungri, [TV star and guitarist] Jung Joon-young and others may have been fans discarded and demeaned by the men they adored.. The police stated that they received testimonies from 4-5 concerning this. Although not explicitly stated, ACRC most likely requested an investigation by the Supreme Prosecutors Office rather than the police to more thoroughly investigate the relations between Burning Sun and the police. Hello, you who is hiding in the shadows behind an anonymous name. On April 3, police confirmed that Roy Kim will be summoned for investigation as he is now considered a suspect in distributing illegally filmed hidden camera videos. March 17: In an interview with the Kyunghyang Shinmun, Burning Sun CEO Lee Moon Ho, who was not in the main chatroom, brushed off the controversy. The acquaintance was reportedly in charge of coordinating and managing the women suspected of prostitution at Seungris birthday in the Philippines. When his mother arrived, she demanded that he be transferred to another branch for investigation, and called for an ambulance. He apologized to his victims, and to everyone who had supported him and made him a public figure. I have faithfully completed my investigation. My bleeding stopped around 10:00AM, but I was incarcerated until the police devised another story, manipulated the CCTV, and concealed everything. April 18: SBS funEreported that a woman accused Jung and Choi of being two of five men that raped her in 2016 in a hotel room. The scandal that began with allegations of drugs and violence at Seoul's Burning Sun nightclub, has since implicated several k-pop celebrities, and is now having an impact on the TV drama world . At the time of the press conference, Seungri had been questioned 15 times in relation to suspicions of embezzlement, organizing prostitution services, sharing illegal footage and images, and tax evasion. When Kim Sang Kyo was finally allowed a transfer to another police station, he hurled an insult at the Yeoksam Station policemen, for causing him so much pain. The police also announced that Seungri violated the Anti-Bribery Act, and determined that Seungri did indeed solicit prostitution, which he previously denied many times. Seungri of Big Bang attends a news conference after Chinese internet giant Tencent and Sony Music Entertainment signing distribution partnership on Jan. 31, 2018 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Please dont make any rash assumptions, and regarding the malicious comments and spreading of false information, I will take strong actions against them. The things in the Kakaotalk chat rooms, arent they about my life? Stocks of South Korean entertainment firms plummeted after the scandal broke, with five major K-pop firms losing nearly 18% of their value in the weeks after the news. The lawyer who acted on behalf of the whistleblower told a CBS Radio show that the chatroom suggested ties to the police. A post shared by @seungriseyo on Mar 11, 2019 at 1:39am PDT. . increased calls to reinvestigate sexual abuse cases. On Saturday, November 24, 2018, I went to a club called Burning Sun in Gangnam and reserved a table to celebrate the birthday of a friend whos helping me with the interior design of my advertisement-project. the fund wereembezzled fromMonkey Museum. I do remember being in a chatroom with Jung Joon Young, but there were no illegal photos. Instead of being charged, he was secretly let off and the incident was never made public because of a message he sent to the police, someone that he knew from the chatroom. The Burning Sun scandal exposed some of the most beloved K-pop idols to be depraved predators. I didnt just say that to Jung Joon Young, I told everyone in the chatroom. April 12: MBC Newsdeskreported that Seungri was paying his personal manager Jiusing funds from Burning Sun, potentially opening up further embezzlement charges. Therefore, we have decided to terminate our contract with Jung Joon Young, who signed with our subsidiary Label M back in January 2019. Lin, Staff Writer Published : Mar 18, 2019 8,925 Views. The statement also reportedly said that YG had terminated Jis employment at the company following the information revealed during the ongoing Burning Sun investigation. August Brown covers pop music, the music industry and nightlife policy at the Los Angeles Times. The scandal has already implicated singer Jung Joon-young and FTISLANDs Choi Jonghoon. The reporter stated that there was much content that was simply unspeakable, and he wasshocked to find out that Jung Joon Young knew the some of his victims weaknesses would prevent them from reporting him to the police. Following Kim Sang Kyos assaults, a special task force was assembled to uncover the truth behind the incident, as well as other scandals surrounding the Burning Sun. I didnt want them to flee the scene, so I went back towards them and screamed at them to not run away. He also agreed to participate willingly in investigations. 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