Big Bang’s Seungri Is Released from Prison

Released from prison on February 9th after serving one year and nine months’ jail time, scrutiny on ex-Big Bang member Seungri‘s next moves is expected to be intense. Embroiled in the shocking “Burning Sun” scandal, the disgraced Kpop star was indicted of a whopping nine criminal charges including offering women for sex to potential investors, embezzlement, and gambling overseas using illegal foreign exchanges.

Surprise Release 2 Days Earlier
Seungri had been implicated as a key figure of the “Burning Sun incident” which shook Korean society as sex, drugs and police protection were uncovered, with KakaoTalk chat records surfacing as legal evidence. Booked without detention in January 2020, Seungri eventually had his charges heard in the military court in March 2020 and was finally handed a three-year prison sentence in August 2021 – a sentence which was later reduced to 1 year and 6 months on appeal, considering his admission of guilt in an about-turn (he initially denied all but one of the charges).

There were reports that the disgraced star would be released on February 11 from Yeoju prison, where he was serving time. That he ended up being released two days earlier than expected on February 9th meant he averted the media glare and presence of reporters eager to cover his release.

Instagram Account Was Deactivated

Seungri’s entertainment career came to a halt four years back, when YG Entertainment announced the cancellation of his scheduled Osaka and Jakarta shows and said they would no longer make performance arrangements for him.

On March 3, 2019, Seungri announced that his retirement from Big Bang and the entertainment industry. Thanking his international fans for their love over the past ten years in an IG apology statement, he said that would have to “stop here” to protect the honor of YG and BIGBANG. As Instagram does not allow those convicted of sexual crimes to use the platform, Seungri’s account (@seungriseyo), which had over 8 million followers, was found to be removed in May 2022. The four other members of Big Bang made an awaited comeback in April 2022, after a four-year hiatus.

Source: Korea Star Daily