Former Big Bang member sentenced to three years in jail

Seungri, a former member of the K-pop boy band Big Bang, was sentenced to three years imprisonment by a military court today afternoon for charges which include prostitution mediation and overseas gambling, Korean media reports.

The 30-year-old disgraced celebrity, originally named Lee Seung-hyun, was also fined over 1.1 billion won, equivalent to around HK$7.6 million, and was ordered to be detained immediately.

He has been on trial in a military court because he enlisted in the Korean army in March last year following his indicment on nine charges in January that year, which also include operation of an unlicensed adult entertainment establishment and embezzelement.

Seungri was probed since 2019 due to the eruption a series of sex and drug scandals surrounding Burning Sun, a Seoul nightclub affiliated with him. He was indicted for procuring prostitutes for investors from other countries from December 2015 to January 2016 to get investment for his night club and other businesses.

The idol was also alleged of breaching the foreign exchange transaction act when habitually gambling in Las Vegas from December 2013 to August 2017.

Seungri denied eight out of the nine charges during hearings. He claimed that his business partner was responsible for the prostitution and he did not visit the United States for gambling.

Military prosecutors had demanded a five-year prison term and a fine of 20 million won for the celebrity in the previous hearing on July 2, stating that he has “shown no remorse and shifted blame to other people despite enjoying large benefits from his crimes”.