Seungri, a member of the popular boy group BIGBANG, announced yesterday that he would be retiring from the entertainment industry. South Korean police have confirmed Seungri is being investigated in connection to a prostitution ring involving Seoul nightclubs such as Burning Sun and Club ARENA. According to police, Seungri's alleged messages on the app KakaoTalk were found in which he offered prostitutes to business clients. Seungri is currently banned from leaving the country.
On March 11, Seungri apologized to fans via Instagram, leaving a statement (translated by Soompi) in which he says: "I think this is where I stop even if it’s at least [to protect] the honor of YG and BIGBANG." A few hours after posting this message to Instagram, a songwriter YGM at YG Entertainment's sub-label, THE BLACK LABEL, hinted on his Instagram story that Seungri did not voluntarily leave YG, but was instead expelled. He posted a screenshot of a comment saying that Seungri was "fooling around by telling people that he voluntarily left when he was actually kicked out" and replied to it with one word: "Real". This was met with outrage, and people began leaving disparaging comments towards Seungri in response. Shortly after, YGM deleted his Instagram account with no explanation. Because YG didn't officially make a statement on the matter, the validity of YGM's comment cannot be verified. Debuting in 2006, BIGBANG was rumored to be making a comeback this year, but with Seungri "quitting" and his scandal shining a negative light on the group's name, fans speculate they won't be returning from hiatus, or at least the comeback will be postponed for the time being. |
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