UPDATE: Police Have Officially Requested Arrest Warrant for Big Bang's Seungri
Following 18 rounds of questioning, the K-pop singer is facing two serious charges.
UPDATE (May 8, 2019): South Korean police have officially requested an arrest warrant for Big Bang’s Seungri. An additional warrant has also been issued for Yoo In-Suk, the co-founder of Seungri’s shared Yuri Holdings. The basis for the warrants was shared by a police officer: “We see that the two conspired to arrange sex services and embezzle company funds.” Since the scandal began, Seungri has been called in for police questioning 18 times as both witness and suspect. He is accused of arranging prostitution parties organized between 2015 and 2017 but denies all accusations.
Stay tuned for more updates as the story develops.
Big Bang‘s Seungri has retired from the music industry following his March 10 arrest. The K-pop star released a statement on Instagram apologizing to fans and announcing his retirement:
“At this point in time, I think it is best if I retire from the entertainment industry. Due to the criticism and trouble I have caused within the public being so severe, I have decided to retire. I will also be faithfully cooperating with the issues being investigated in ode to reveal all the doubts and speculations circulating. Fo the past month and a half, I have been receiving backlash and hatred from the citizens of this country. Currently being investigated by many detectives, I am also being coined as a societal traitor (country’s traitor). With everything going on, I cannot bare to allow myself to put those around me in harm’s way just so I alone could survive. I would like to genuinely thank all my fans, both Korean and oversea, who have showered me with love for the past ten+ years. In order to protect both YGE and BIGBANG’s reputation/honor, I feel that it is best if I end it here. once again, I am sorry, so very sorry.”
Seungri has been accused of running a prostitution ring at his Seoul club, Burning Sun. He claims to have no knowledge of illegal activity that took place under his management. Earlier this month, messages were leaked that suggested Seungri made plans to hire prostitutes for his clients. He denies these claims and insists that the messages were fake. On March 10, additional evidence from another nightclub, ARENA, reportedly shows that he was involved in another prostitution scandal. This evidence resulted in his subsequent arrest. Seungri was also scheduled to enlist in the South Korean military on March 25.
Stay tuned as this story develops.
