Prosecutors seek 5 years for ex-BIGBANG member Seungri

South Korean military prosecutors are seeking a five-year prison sentence for former BIGBANG member Seungri over multiple charges following his alleged involvement in the Burning Sun scandal in 2019.

The military court asked the judge to impose the sentence and a 20-million won fine, the Kuwait Times reported on Thursday, July 1. The military court is now hearing his trial after Seungri enlisted in the army for mandatory military service in 2020.

Seungri, whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, is accused of involvement in the Burning Sun scandal of 2019. The scandal involved several high-profile personalities who had been convicted of crimes committed in the Burning Sun nightclub, where Seungri was a public relations director.

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story misspelled the real name of Seungri and mistakenly referred to him as the owner of the Burning Sun nightclub. These have been corrected.

In February 2019, the Seoul Police Department launched an investigation, and deemed the former K-Pop star deemed a person of interest. Police alleged that Seungri offered prostitutes to investors of Burning Sun. BIGBANG’s agency YG Entertainment denied the allegations, claiming that the story was fabricated.

Seungri was also indicted over accusations of habitual overseas gambling involving illicit foreign exchange transactions.

Seungri himself continues to deny a number of accusations stemming from the scandal – including alleged embezzlement, habitual gambling, and prostitution services according to reports by Soompi.

BIGBANG debuted in 2006 and gained widespread fame soon after. After years of success and fame, Seungri announced his retirement from the group in February 2019 following the allegations against him. – with reports from Angelica Burlaza/ Rappler.com

Angelica Burlaza is a Rappler intern