In an Insta-story, YGM posted a screenshot of a comment claiming that Seungri was fooling around by telling people that he voluntarily left when he was actually kicked out. YGM commented, Real. They claimed that Kim Sang Kyo was sexually harassing a woman and began causing a scene when the bodyguards tried to stop him. April 29: After previously denying it on multiple occasions, Park admitted to some of his suspected drug usage. Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about. SBS funE reported on more snippets of the chatroom that showed the members knew they were involved in illegal activities. The Chosun Ilboreported Seungris alleged procurement of prostitution began earlier than previously known, potentially as early as December 2015. Why didnt I stop it? It is very difficult to lead a feminist movement unless protected by anonymity, Saeji said. On February 26, a reporter by the name of Kang Kyeong Yoonclaimed that the agency had made a false statement and that the original reports are true. He later discovered that the two bodyguards lied. All I saw on that phone was a list of phone numbers, and I havent contacted Jung Joon Young on a personal level in a very long time. Police officers are supposed to report any cases of celebrities or public figures being cited for DUI to a higher-up,but because Choi Jonghoon stated he was unemployed, the DUI may not have been reported. Here is everything we know about Seungris scandal from the Burning Sun Assault case until now. 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. 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. Kim Sang Kyo also shared the story of a woman who claims to be a victim of a Burning Sun employee. Results from his urine and hair tests clearly proved that everything was normal. Police announced reinvestigation into allegations that 14 VIP patrons at a Gangnam club illegally filmed and shared sexual videos and photos without the consent of women in two KakaoTalk group chat rooms between 2014 and 2015. On February 25, YG Entertainment released anofficial statement claiming that the text messages in the reports were fabricated and untrue. Afterward, the chat was sent to SBS funE. I filmed women without their consent and shared it in a social media chatroom.. A YG rep stated that Seungri would enlist in the military on March 25. The investigation did not confirm the rape allegation. The Crimes, aka The Burning Sun Scandal. According to both employees, theclub did not conduct any bag searches on the VIP customers and it was impossible to know what was going on inside the rooms. In the released chat log, Choi Jonghoon messaged the group chat about his arrest, claiming he gave 10 million won to the police to get out of it. News reporters who were stationed outside of YG Entertainment saw two 2t trucks enter YG Entertainments parking lot. The police stated that the CEO was not directly involved. In another conversation, the staff discussed watching sex occur in the VIP room while recording it. The roiling scandal has been driven by social media, which helps expose wrongdoing but also provides K-pop fans with new distractions. I want to kneel and apologize to everyone who felt angry and disappointed. Leaked Kakaotalk messages pointed to this club as being the meeting point for rich investors to meet potential working girls. All three had been on a television show with Jung in the past. On March 13,arrived at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Station to be questioned and investigated for his role in the hidden camera chatroom and soliciting prostitution, among other accused crimes. Kim Sang Kyo first went public about the assault on Bobaedream, an online community. When the video was first released, the employees also said that it was the VIP room restroom but it seemed like they werent too concerned about the released video.. Big questions loom around how China can jump-start growth after the coronavirus crisis and the US trade war. March 21: The court announced that Jung Joon-youngsarrest. These included the case of 29-year-old actress Jang Ja-yeon, who died by suicide in 2009 after leaving a note that said she'd been forced to sleep with more than 30 prominent men. The statement also reportedly said that YG had terminated Jis employment at the company following the information revealed during the ongoing Burning Sun investigation. Choi Jonghoon: I told him (the police officer) I would give him 10 million won before I got handcuffed. So, we are currently in contact with Jung Joon Young, who is currently overseas fulfilling his schedule, but we are also having difficulties understanding all of the facts. He stated, however, that he had never taken hidden camera videos himself or shared them. The police stated that they received testimonies from 4-5 concerning this. The phone that I mentioned on the show had nothing to do with this unfortunate case. The management accused Mr. Kim of attempting to harass women. It has seen K-pop become a multi-billion dollar business in its own right, as well as drawing consumers to Korean products and tourists to its shores. On January 1, 2016, Jung Joon Young suggested meeting in an online game, going to a strip bar, and raping a woman in a car, to which Mr. Park said, Were already doing that in real life. He also added, Its like were living in a movie. The promise of such vast sums of money can act as a magnet for some who would do anything to make still more. The Monkey Museums illegal misclassification the first Burning Sun related accusation Seungri has admitted to. I asked him how he was doing the next day. When Choi Jonghoon was asked about his identity, he lied about it and claimed to be unemployed. Seungri again denied allegations about soliciting prostitutes in 2015, and claims that the women mentioned in those chat logs werent prostitutes. When the University of Rome opened a class on the mafia, people said you need to understand the organisation to better understand Italy. On March 13, it was revealed that March 11, the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) sent the chartroom case to the Supreme Prosecutors Office for further investigation. He also agreed to participate willingly in investigations. After entering the station, Kim Sang Kyo managed to secretly call his mother. In addition, the second chat log between Jung Joon Young and CNBLUEs Lee Jonghyun show that Jung Joon Young engaged in sex tourism as well. Jung Joon Young was in San Francisco to film tvNs cooking variety show 4 Wheeled Restaurant Season 3. Seungri explained that he quit his position as a director of Burning Sun before the assault cases, and claimed he was also a victim of Burning Suns misdeeds. 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. Park held press conference to deny allegations of drug usage. From today, I plan to officially make a request to the Military Manpower Administration for a delay to my military enlistment. One of the victims explained how she found out about a video, but did not report it because she was afraid of how it could affect her reputation and out of fear that it might be circulated. Jung Joon Young submitted 3 phones to the police so far, but the police decided to search his home in case he was still hiding others. Therefore, we have decided to terminate our contract with Jung Joon Young, who signed with our subsidiary Label M back in January 2019. of Sexual Crimes, reported the Korea Herald. They also stated that Choi Jonghoon was called to the police station for questioning as a witness, not a suspect. By offering up the celebrities, the police have satisfied the public and taken the spotlight off the police.. In a press conference on April 1, the commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency,Won Kyung Hwan, announced thatSeungriandYoo In Sukhad both been booked for embezzlement. When Seungri discussedthe chat log Police Chief, Police Superintendent Yoon, he said,I dont know him well. Feminist leaders in Korea are doxxed severely. Others did it too. The agency, who previously claimed that he had no connection to the chatroom, stated that they had not been notified of his DUI. Some reports claim that Jung Joon Young had submitted a new phone that he recently purchased 2 weeks prior to the investigation. Most of all, I apologize to the women who appeared in the video, that had to face this horrible reality with this incident. Having said that, theres of course a wide variety of responses, but Id say that theres still a tendency to downplay the seriousness and the significance of the transgressions, said John Lie, a professor of sociology at UC Berkeley and author of K-pop: Popular Music, Cultural Amnesia, and Economic Innovation in South Korea., K-pop stars are believed by many of their fans to be kind and gentle, unlike non-K-pop stars, and K-pop managers seek to maintain the myth. The Intellectual Crime Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it found no evidence that Chois 2016 drunk driving incident was intentionally covered upand kept secret from the media despite Chois previous admission of attempted bribery. He was acquitted after the prosecution dismissed the search warrant claiming that there were no circumstances of him trying to circulate it.. Some of these videos and pictures were sent in the chatroom with Seungri and other celebrities. As soon as I writhed in pain, he pushed me down with his body and hit my shoulder hard three times. They would get it. I have faithfully and truthfully cooperated with the investigation and have submitted the golden phone as is. MBC alleged thatonly videos from 2015 and 2016 have been discovered on Jung Joon Youngs phone(s) because he abandoned his most recent phone in Los Angeles. Visit Billboard Pro for music business news, Come On and Slam: How Quad City DJs Space Jam Became the Theme of OnlineMashups, Songs That Defined the Decade: Mitskis Your Best AmericanGirl, Songs That Defined the Decade: Psys GangnamStyle, reported on more snippets of the chatroom. He then talked about hislavish birthday partyin the Philippines in December 2017, and how the accusations of having prostitutes and drugs there are false. In late March,SBSrevealed a photo that top actorJi Chang Wookhad allegedly taken withMadam Lin andDJ Raiden. They also denied that Seungri had been at the club at the time of the incident. Police referred the case to the prosecutors office after they found evidence that Jung distributed illicit videos 11 times in the group chats in question. SBSs 8 OClock News questioned the veracity of Yoo In Suks written apology. K-pop fans are both shocked and dismayed, but I think for many it is almost cathartic since the visage of K-pop, and Koreas entertainment industry in general, is so tightly based on a sense of propriety and clean-cut personas, said Tamar Herman, founder of the K-pop site KultScene and a journalist who covers K-pop for Billboard. After Jung Joon Youngs arrest, an additional 3 cases of illegal video filming has been discovered. We have also decided that we are unable to maintain our contract with Jung Joon Young due to this scandal. This was the 3rd assault from the police. When Choi Jonghoon was caught drunk driving in February 2016, he offered the police officer who had caught him 5 million won (~$4,400 USD). On March 11, Seungri announced his retirement on Instagram. They announced they were investigating whether Yoos payments exceeded those of Yoons to determine whether the expenditures are violations of the countrys graft laws. Dont let the public or press know about this. He first apologized for his actions, and once again stated how no one will believe him, even if he tells the truth. In the second set of chats, other members of the chat continued to talk about Choi Jonghoons incident, including Jung Joon Young saying how he could have ended up on the front of the newspaper. The broadcaster dug up documents that suggest he had a big stake in the clubs founding and invested 225 million won (or $198,600) in it. He also handed in his phones. Due to Koreas nationality principle, Koreans can still be punished for gambling in an overseas casino in spite of the fact that gambling may be legal in that country. 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. But accusations of police bribery, obstruction of justice or cases being completely dismissed highlight corruption at the highest levels in South Korea go back to the Park Geun-hye administration, and had been the spark for the massive candlelight protests that drew millions to the streets in 201617. Additionally, she denied the involvement of FTISLANDs Lee Hongki as well as rumors that female celebrities were victims. 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.. I have faithfully completed my investigation. FNC Entertainment announced that Choi Jonghoon left FTISLAND and retired from the entertainment industry. The exchange suggests that Jung Joon Young was waiting for CEO Yoo to send prostitutes over to his place. 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 latter claim Kang Chung Wan made was soon supported by a report that reporter Kang Kyung Yoon made on March 14. According to the report, the members kicked out Mr. A from their chatroom as soon as his incident involving marijuana was reported on the news. MBN reported that Jung Joon-young had also been part of a separate 2018 investigation into hidden camera footage. Police are reportedlyalso investigating a comment made by Seungri, also in December 2015, about procuring escorts for Taiwanese customers at a Gangnam club. Two more women from the Burning Sun later made similar sexual harassment claims against him. KBS1s KBS News 9 also reported that he received prostitutes from Yuri Holdings Yoo In Suk. Jan. 28, 2019: This is the starting point of the ongoing news cycle around the current scandal. (A more extensive fan translation was posted on Reddit.). The allegations of sex crimes involved added to the . Seungri and his lawyer said the chat logs had been misinterpretted. Ive committed unforgivable crimes. An unspeakable incident had occurred. South Korean President Moon Jae In called for an investigation, saying, If we fail to clarify the truth behind the cases that occurred within the privileged class, we will not be able to talk of a righteous society., YG, Seungris label, said in a statement to South Korean press that Seungri is said to be part of various allegations and controversiesWe bow deeply to offer our apology for causing disturbance to many people, including our fans.. She later fell over while foaming at the mouth. 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. 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