Former BIGBANG member Seungri, who is currently serving the military, will undergo trial for eight offenses at the Ground Operations Command, a branch of General Military Court. He was indicted on charges of sex trafficking and overseas gambling. He will be tried in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
The scandal Seungri is involved in is called the Burning Sun Scandal as the first case was found in the Burning Sun club that was co-owned by Seungri along with Yoo In Seok, the former CEO of Yuri Holdings.
Lee Seung Hyun, popularly known as Seungri, 30, was handed over to military trial in January. The Kpop star was not detained by the prosecution. The authority to conduct trial has been finalized, but the date of the trial is yet to be announced as Seungri's case was transferred to the military court as he enlisted in the army in March 2020.
Cause For Delay in Trial
Prior to the military court, Seungri's case was being handled by the 26th Criminal Department of the Seoul Central District Court. It transferred the case to the General Military Court of the Fifth Corps Command on May 15.
The delay in beginning the trial was caused by the Fifth Corps Command as it did not take responsibility for the trial. Instead, it transferred the case back to the General Military Court and it was then assigned to the Ground Operations Command on June 23.
Currently, Seungri has completed five weeks of basic military training at the boot camp and is serving at the subordinate unit of the 5th Corps. Reports claim that the case was transferred considering the gravity of the issue. Now higher level authorities will take up the case in depth.
Seungri has been charged with eight cases including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, violation of the Food Sanitation Act, violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes, violating the filming rules, violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Sex Trade, violation of the Foreign Exchange Act etc.
Seungri's Previous Cases of Gambling, Prostitution
Burning Sun is not the only scandal Seungri was involved in. In fact, he was indicted on charges of gambling in Las Vegas in December 2013. He was also charged with similar crime several times between 2013 and 2017. He was also indicted for violation of the Foreign Exchange Act.
He is also facing trial for his involvement in acts of prostitution including arranging girls from foreign countries for clients between 2015 and 2016. He is accused of sending pictures of women in a questionable manner to investors overseas.
Recently, Yoo In Seok, the former CEO of Yuri Holdings, admitted to his crimes including sex trafficking, solicitation of prostitution, violation of food business laws, misappropriation of funds and economic restrictions in the Burning Sun sex scandal. He took part in the hearing held at Seoul Central District Court on June 3.
