K-Pop star Seungri, a member of the South Korean boy band Big Bang, has found himself in the hot seat again as he faces official charges of “supplying prostitutes” through his Seoul club, Burning Sun. Though he denies all charges, the 28-year-old musician says he has decided to retire from show business in order to protect the reputation of the band and their backing entertainment agency, YG Entertainment.
“At this point, I think it would be best if I retire from the entertainment industry,” the singer announced in a statement on Instagram, where he also mentioned that he would be “investigated diligently.” The decision to step away came after police raided the club Sunday night. If convicted, Seungri could incur a three-year jail sentence. “We booked Seungri and changed his status to that of a suspect in order to issue a search and seizure warrant and clear [Seungri] of the suspicions,” a police spokesman said during a recent press conference.
These latest events are the culmination of an ongoing investigation into the club, which began late January after a video of an assault taking place on the property circulated online. Since then, the police have alleged that staff supplied drugs to patrons and bribed VIP investors with sex workers. A series of text messages confirming as much were also released in February, which appear to show Seungri conversing with three other people about the potential bribery. This doesn’t exactly do the pop star any favors.
The remaining Big Bang members are currently completing their mandatory military service, which Seungri was due to begin in two weeks. Clearly, this might shift some things.
[Via Variety]