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Seungri referred to prosecutors on embezzlement, sex crime, prostitution charges, among others: police
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Shamed: Seungri (center), a member of the K-pop boy group BIGBANG, bows as he arrives for questioning over criminal allegations at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul on March 14. (AFP/Jung Yeon-Je)
S
eungri, formerly of boy band Big Bang, has been referred to prosecutors in the latest development in the Burning Sun probe, police said Tuesday.
Burning Sun, a now-closed club in Gangnam, Seoul, is alleged to have been host to a range of criminal activities, including sex crimes, drug dealing and prostitution. The singer and entrepreneur was heavily involved in the club’s management.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, charges Seungri faces concern embezzlement, destruction of evidence, violation of laws on sex trade, sexual crimes and food hygiene.
Seungri is suspected of procuring prostitution for personal and business acquaintances from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan from December 2015 to January 2016. He is also suspected of buying sex himself.
Police added, however, they found no evidence of the procuring of prostitutes at his December 2017 birthday party in Palawan in the Philippines.
Seungri’s business partner and former head of Yuri Holdings Yoo In-suk has also been sent to prosecutors for engaging in and mediating prostitution, along with 17 prostitutes who provided sex services.
Seungri allegedly embezzled approximately 1.1 billion won ($951,000) from his businesses, according to police.
Read also: Burning Sun scandal probe ends without much
Another suspicion raised against the Big Bang star is the circulation of spycam videos and other illicit sex videos filmed without consent in a group messenger chat, of which singers Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon were also members.
A senior police official, identified only by his surname Yoon, is also facing a prosecutorial investigation for tipping off Seungri and Yoo of impending police crackdowns. An inspector at Gangnam Police Station was sent to prosecutors as an accomplice in the abuse of official authority.
Seungri announced his retirement from the entertainment industry on March 11, as allegations began to snowball concerning illicit activities surrounding his business operations.
Forty suspects have been referred to the prosecutor investigation in a probe surrounding the Burning Sun scandal.
This article appeared on The Korea Herald newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
