Former K-pop idol Seungri gets prison sentence halved on appeal
The former BIGBANG member only needs to serve 18 months for his part in the Burning Sun scandal, down from the original three years.
FILE - In this March 14, 2019, file photo, Seungri, a former member of a popular K-pop boy band Big Bang, arrives at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul, South Korea. A South Korean military court sentenced disgraced K-pop star Seungri to three years in prison on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021, for crimes including providing prostitutes to foreign businessmen. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
Former K-pop singer and BIGBANG member Seungri has had his prison sentence reduced by half by an appeal court.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the South Korean High Court for Armed Forces announced on Thursday (Jan 27) that his jail term would be reduced to 18 months from the original three years.
Seungri was given the original sentence – and ordered to pay 1.15 billion Korean won (US$1m) in restitution – for charges including facilitating prostitution and embezzlement in the case widely known as the Burning Sun scandal, so named after a nightclub in Seoul that he co-owned.
He and his business partner were accused of arranging sexual services for potential investors and rich clients at the club.
SCMP reported that Seungri had acknowledged at appeal court that he was guilty of all the charges laid against him and he also expressed remorse. The trial and appeal took place in the military court as he’s enlisted to perform national service during the course of the investigation.
The former idol, whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, had originally pleaded guilty to only one of the nine charges – violating foreign exchange policies related to overseas gambling – in a lower court trial in August last year. However, he was convicted on all counts.
