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Netizens file petition to sack judge in Seungri case
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Former BIGBANG boyband member Seungri, real name Lee Seung-hyun, arrives at the High Court in Seoul on May 14, 2019. (AFP/Ed Jones).
Usage: 0 (AFP/Ed Jones)
F
ed up over a neverending stream of stories about the misbehavior of K-pop artists and a perceived slow pace of investigations, netizens now want to play judge and jury.
Upset that a judge on Tuesday did not approve an application for an arrest warrant for former BigBang singer Seungri (above), they have issued their own "verdict", ruling that the judge is at fault in this case and should be sacked.
On Wednesday, a petition calling for the judge's removal was posted on a government website.
The petitioners want another judge with a "heart and soul" and who has the ability to make "reasonable decisions", reported the Allkpop website.
The rejection of the arrest warrant on Tuesday was a surprise to many netizens, who expected the singer to be nabbed, given that the same fate had fallen on artists Jung Joon-young and Park Yoo-chun over allegations of the illicit taping of women in sex acts and drug use respectively.
Seungri is said to have booked prostitutes for would-be investors of his businesses and siphoned 530 million won (S$612,000) from nightclub Burning Sun.
The judge on Tuesday said there was room for argument over the alleged embezzlement and that the singer was not a flight risk.
That decision led some netizens to speculate whether Seungri has high-powered connections.
Read also: Burning Sun scandal probe ends without much
They were also likely to be further incensed over what the singer did after he earned a reprieve.
He hit the gym on Wednesday and was in a good mood, waving to reporters with a smile.
The netizens were also not impressed hearing that the police would not be making another attempt to secure an arrest warrant.
The police said on Wednesday they will focus on wrapping up their investigations before Seungri reports for mandatory military service on June 24.
This article appeared on The Straits Times newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
