Former K-pop idol and Big Bang member Seungri will serve a reduced jail sentence after pleading guilty to all charges after previously denying all but one.
Seungri, who faces a total of nine charges following the Burning Sun scandal, appeared for his appeal trial on Thursday and reportedly expressed remorse for his actions.
The 31-year-old pled guilty to only one of his charges last August — violating foreign exchange policies related to overseas gambling — resulting in a three-year jail sentence and a 1.15 billion Korean won (approximately $950,000) fine.
Seungri’s other charges included (1) violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes, (2) violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes, (3) violation of the Food Sanitation Act, (4) embezzlement, (5) habitual gambling, (6) prostitution mediation, (7) purchase of prostitution services and (8) special violence instigation, according to Soompi.
On Thursday, after Seungri acknowledged guilt to all other charges, the South Korean High Court for Armed Forces retained his fine but nearly halved his jail sentence to one year and six months because of his new stance.
Seungri’s trials took place in a military court since he enlisted in the South Korean army – a requirement for men – even under investigation, according to the South China Morning Post.
The Burning Sun scandal is regarded by many as the biggest controversy in K-pop history. It is named after the nightclub where Seungri had worked as executive director and facilitated prostitution, drug trafficking and police corruption.
In addition to Seungri, several other celebrities and politicians were involved in the scandal. Singer Jung Joon-young, who was among them, admitted to filming himself while having sex with women — without their consent — and subsequently sharing the videos in a chatroom.
Twitter users had mixed reactions over the reduction of Seungri’s sentence.
“Punk a** motherf*cker lied for YEARS about the women HE hurt. And the ONLY reason he even admitted the truth was to save himself. What an absolute disgrace. F*ck Seungri now and always,” one Twitter user wrote.
Another commented, “If you have been following Seungri’s case all this time, today’s verdict doesn’t have to change anything for you if you really know the truth. Every person who followed his case knows pretty well that he is just scapegoat in the hands of a corrupted system, and nothing else.”
Featured Image via KBS World TV
