This Is A Timeline Of Everything That We Know About The Seungri Scandal So Far

Since the beginning of 2019, K-Pop idol Seungri, former member of influential South Korean boy band Big Bang, has been caught in a whirlwind of explosive and serious allegations involving prostitution, drugs and illicit sex videos. This has caused an uproar in the Korean entertainment industry which is well-known for having K-Pop idols uphold wholesome and clean images.

Let’s take a comprehensive look at how the events unfolded around one of the biggest scandals to hit the K-Pop world in recent years, with twists and turns worthy of a Korean drama.

Warning: Some images/videos may cause discomfort to viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.

How It All Started: Burning Sun Club Allegations

November 2018 to January 28, 2019

MBC’s newscast News Desk reported that a man named Mr Kim claimed that he was assaulted by a staff at Burning Sun, a nightclub reportedly co-owned by Seungri, in November 2018 as he was helping a woman who was being sexually harassed.

CCTV footage revealed Mr Kim being dragged out of the club by security guards where they and a director of Burning Sun, Mr Jang, proceeded to beat him up.

Mr Kim called the police to report the incident, but Mr Kim was arrested by the police instead as an assailant. After being arrested, it is also reported that Mr Kim alleged that the police officers had physically assaulted him as well. Mr Kim also alleged that police officers recorded his assault while ridiculing him, and that they did not allow him to seek medical attention for his injuries as he was arrested as the assailant.

The police report obtained by News Desk stated Mr Kim as the assailant and Mr Jang as the victim. It is also revealed that Seungri was present at the venue that evening.

This Is A Timeline Of Everything That We Know About The Seungri Scandal So Far
Mr Kim showing his facial injuries, which he alleges is a result of being beaten up.

January 29

A statement was issued by the CEOs of Burning Sun, Lee Sung Hyun and Lee Moon Ho to apologise for Mr Kim’s assault. They claimed to have fired the staff involved and promised to give their full cooperation to the investigation. Burning Sun also responded to a CCTV video of a separate incident that had been uploaded onto Youtube. It showed a woman being dragged down the hallway at the club.

She had allegedly reported the incident to the police, but no action had been taken and it was claimed that Burning Sun had deleted the footage. The club denied the accusations and provided more footage to support their claim that the woman in question was removed from a VIP table for being a nuisance and that she had assaulted their staff instead.

Mr Jang also spoke to news outlet E-Daily to apologize for the assault on Mr Kim and shared footage that showed Mr Kim approaching multiple female guests and there were complaints about his behaviour. He also stated that Seungri was not at the club on the day of the incident and in fact was someone the staff did not see often.

On the same day, Mr Kim took to Instagram to ask for any information that anyone might have regarding the date-rape drug, GHB. GHB’s known effects include a loss of consciousness, nausea, hallucinations, amnesia and coma.

He then shared a screenshot of a conversation he had with a female victim, who alleges that she was assaulted by a Burning Sun employee. She then explains that she could not make a police report because the club had already deleted CCTV footage of the incident.

This Is A Timeline Of Everything That We Know About The Seungri Scandal So Far
A screenshot of the conversation, taken from Mr Kim’s Instagram story.
January 30
A Burning Sun representative told daily newspaper Kyunghan Shinmun that Seungri was involved in the club’s management but was not the owner. However, newscast KBS News reported that Seungri had indeed been a director but resigned from the position the week before. They went on to report testimony from a former Burning Sun employee regarding a viral video that showed a woman getting sexually assaulted in a bathroom. The employee claimed that a VIP room in the club has a separate bathroom and the lights in the video appeared to be the same as that bathroom. It was also suggested that illegal drug use took place in the VIP rooms.
 
January 31
 
CEO of Seungri’s entertainment agency YG Entertainment, Yang Hyun Suk, released an official statement stating that he had confirmed with Seungri that he was not present at the club at the time of Mr Kim’s incident and that he had resigned from his director position in compliance with military laws so as to prepare for his upcoming military enlistment.In late January, several unnamed former employees stepped forward with stories of witnessing drug use and sexual assault within the premises of the Burning Sun club.
February 1

New video footage emerged, showing Mr Kim harassing the woman that he claimed to have been saving. The woman accused him of sexually harassing her and the police summoned him for questioning. After spending 7 hours being interviewed in the police station, two other women stepped forward with new claims that Mr Kim had sexually harassed them as well.

February 2

Seungri addressed the assault issue via Instagram and stated that he was not present during the incident. He was shocked by the footage and does not condone the use of violence. He clarified that he as director at Burning Sun, he was only in-charge of promotions and was not involved in the club’s operations and management.

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안녕하세요. 승리입니다. 먼저 저와 관계된 최근 사건과 논란으로 불쾌하셨거나 걱정을 끼쳐드린 모든 분들께 진심으로 고개 숙여 사과드립니다. 이번 사건으로 인해 지난 며칠간 견디기 힘든 악몽 같은 시간을 보내며 무슨 말씀을 어디부터 어떻게 드려야 할지 많이 혼란스러웠습니다. 사실 관계가 불분명한 내용들이 눈덩이처럼 커지는 상황에서, 섣부른 해명이 오히려 더 큰 오해를 만들 수 있다는 주변의 만류와 많은 고민들로 공식해명과 사과가 늦어진 점 정말 죄송스럽게 생각합니다. 이번 논란의 시작이 된 폭행 사건 당시 저는 현장에 있지 않았고, 며칠 뒤 스텝을 통해 손님과 직원 간에 쌍방폭행사건이 있었으며 경찰서에서 조사중이라는 정도로 이번 사건을 처음 알게 되었습니다. 사업장의 성격상 다툼 및 시비가 적지 않게 일어나기에 이번에도 큰 문제 없이 원만히 해결되기를 바라는 마음이었습니다. 후에 언론을 통해 당시 상황이 담긴 영상을 처음 보게 되었고, 저 역시 큰 충격을 받았습니다. 어떠한 경우에도 폭력은 정당화될 수 없고, 이번 일로 상처를 받으신 피해자 분께는 이 글을 빌어 진심으로 사죄의 말씀드리며. 하루빨리 심신의 상처가 아물길 바라겠습니다. 제가 처음 클럽에 관여하게 된 계기는, 빅뱅의 활동이 잠시 중단되고 솔로 활동을 시작하게 되면서, 솔로 활동 외의 시간을 이용해 언제든 마음놓고 음악을 틀 수 있는 장소에서, 제가 해보고 싶었던 DJ 활동을 병행하고 싶다는 단순한 마음에서였습니다. 때마침 좋은 계기가 있어 홍보를 담당하는 클럽의 사내이사를 맡게 되었고, 연예인이기 때문에 대외적으로 클럽을 알리는 역할을 담당했습니다 실질적인 클럽의 경영과 운영은 제 역할이 아니었고, 처음부터 관여하지 않았기 때문에 이번 사건도 처음부터 책임있는 모습을 보여드리지 못하였던 점 깊이 반성하고 머리 숙여 사죄드립니다. 폭행사건으로 촉발된 이슈가 요즘은 마약이나 약물 관련 언론 보도들로 이어지고 있습니다. 이 부분에 있어서는 제가 이를 직접 보거나, 들어본 적도 없었던 터라 수사에 적극 협조하여 철저한 조사를 통해 진상규명과 함께 죄가 있다면 엄중한 처벌이 있었으면 하는 마음입니다. 당시 사내이사를 맡고 있었던 저도 책임질 일이 있다면 모든 책임을 지겠습니다. 이번 일을 겪으면서 유명인의 책임과 태도에 대해 다시 한번 크게 뉘우치고 깨닫게 되었습니다. 이번 일로 인해 걱정 끼쳐드린 모든 분들께 다시 한번 진심으로 사과 드리며, 더 성숙하고 사려깊은 모습 보여드릴 수 있도록 노력하겠습니다. 승리 이승현 배상

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Meanwhile, news agency Dispatch claimed to have obtained chats that revealed group chat conversations between Burning Sun staff discussing tactics to bring girls into the VIP rooms, and that staff members were able to see VIP customers having sex in the rooms via CCTV.

It is reported that employees used terms like “home run” when referring to the drugging and raping of a victim. It is also reported that club directors believed VIPs would return if they had a successful “home run”.

Seungri was not part of these conversations.

February 4

Burning Sun CEO Lee Moon Ho issued a statement, apologising to Seungri for involving him in this controversy. He stated that as they were long-time friends, he had asked Seungri to be a consultant and he had only helped in contacting foreign DJs for the club and was not involved in the actual management. Burning Sun also promised to remove the VIP rooms and increase the number of CCTVs to improve the club environment.

February 15

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency conducted raids on Burning Sun and the Yeoksam District police unit. Original hard disk CCTV footage, body cam footage, data related to alleged police collusion and drugs and sex crimes suspicions at Burning Sun were confiscated.

February 16
Seungri apologised to fans at his Seungri 1st Solo Tour – The Great Seungri Final in Seoul concert, which was to be his last concert tour before he enlists in the military this year. He feels sorry for disappointing many people due to his negligence and vowed to think and act more carefully as a celebrity.
February 17
Burning Sun shut down as the investigation of drug-dealing expanded to more clubs in the Gangnam area.February 20Police started to investigate Burning Sun executives including Seungri. Staff were summoned for questioning on Seungri’s role at the club.

Seungri: Solicitation of Prostitution Allegations

February 26

News outlet SBS funE uncovered text messages that allegedly showed Seungri’s involvement in offering prostitutes to potential investors for his businesses in 2015. The conversation involved him, his business partner CEO Yoo of his investment company Yuri Holdings that he was then preparing to establish, and an employee. The messages implied that girls were hired to entertain a foreign investor at another prominent night club, Club Arena, and that Seungri had ordered his employee to “bring girls”.

This Is A Timeline Of Everything That We Know About The Seungri Scandal So Far
A screenshot of the text messages, released by SBS funE.

Within a few hours of the report’s release, YG Entertainment issued a statement stating that upon checking with Seungri, they confirmed that the text messages were fabricated and untrue and they would follow up with legal action.

Yuri Holdings also made a statement that they believed someone with a grudge against Seungri had made up the text messages. The Seoul Police Department launched an investigation into these claims against Seungri.

February 27

The journalist from SBS funE confirmed that the text messages were not fabricated and were only edited to omit crude expressions. Seungri submitted himself to questioning by the police and took urine and follicle test to test for drugs and was released eight-and-a-half hours later. He appealed to the public to wait for the results of the investigations.

February 28

The first round of drug tests proved negative. Seungri cancelled all upcoming activities and stated that he would cooperate fully with investigations.

March 1

SBS funE reported that the whistleblower had submitted the text messages of Seungri to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission instead of the police, because the messages suggested a deep connection to the police and complicity from the police.

March 4

A source from the Seoul Metropolitan Agency stated that they are aware that the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission was in possession of the text messages and the police had formally requested for their cooperation.

In early March, a CCTV video finally provided a key piece of evidence, when it was shown that a man had first grabbed Mr Kim’s hair and began the assault.

This Is A Timeline Of Everything That We Know About The Seungri Scandal So Far
A screenshot from the CCTV footage. The employee assaulting Mr Kim is facing the camera, while Mr Kim has his back against the CCTV and is in a grey hoodie.

It is also reported that of the three women who claimed Mr Kim had sexually harassed them, all of them had connections to Burning Sun employees.

March 8

Seungri confirmed his military enlistment date as an active-duty soldier as March 25. News program MBC News released internal Burning Sun documents showing that Seungri had made an initial investment in the club and he was listed as one of the four executive directors. He was also listed as a corporate promoter which is used to refer to someone who worked on the formation of a company and Yuri Holdings, of which he was co-CEO of, was also a shareholder in the club.

March 10

Seungri was booked on charges of charges of violating South Korea’s Acts on Pimping and Prostitution and its Punishments and has marked him as a suspect. The police began searching Club Arena for information on the pimping allegations. The second round of Seungri’s drug tests proved negative. Police confirmed that multiple celebrities were also in the group chat that were used by Seungri to allegedly solicit prostitution and some of them had been summoned for questioning.

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Illicit Sex Videos Allegations

March 11

SBS funE once again accused Seungri of being involved in a group chat of eight people including two male singers and CEO Yoo, and a hidden camera video was shared in the chat room. Based on text messages sent in the group chat in January 2016, a video and photos were shared of a man having sex with a woman and Seungri had watched it and recognised the man in the video. It’s alleged that the woman was unaware that she was being filmed and there were other hidden camera videos and photos.

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역시 조명은 갓장실

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Newscast SBS 8 O’Clock News identified one of the celebrities in the group chat to be singer and variety star Jung Joon Young. It was reported that he had shared illegal video footage with his friends several times and they had so far confirmed with 10 victims that they had been filmed illegally. Joon Young’s agency MAKEUS Entertainment stated that the singer did not confirm nor deny the reports and they would wait for him to return to South Korea from the United States where he was filming a variety show, before issuing an official statement.

Seungri announced his retirement from the entertainment industry as he wanted to protect the honour of YG Entertainment and Big Bang as the issues caused by him were too serious. Police prohibited him from leaving the country.

March 12

Joon Young halted filming in the United States and returned to South Korea. The police booked him on charges of violating the Sexual Violence and Protection Act and prohibited him from leaving the country. All of his schedules have been cancelled and he will be edited out of unaired episodes of his variety shows that have already been filmed. The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission transferred the text messages to the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office after their internal analysis.

Involvement of More Celebrities and Police Bribery Allegations

March 12

News outlet SBS 8 O’ Clock News also reported that in 2016, a second Mr Kim — an acquaintance of Seungri — had uploaded a video of himself having sexual relations with a woman who appeared to be unconscious. In response Choi Jong Hoon, a member of rock band F.T. Island, asked him for a video of a girl who’s “alive”. The second Mr Kim then admitted to filming the victim with the flashlight on because she had appeared to have fainted. Joon Young, who is a member of this group chat, was reported to have laughed and said “You raped her”.

March 13

Joon Young admitted to his crimes in a letter of apology and stated that he would withdraw from the entertainment industry. MAKEUS Entertainment terminated their contract with him. YG Entertainment also officially terminated Seungri’s contract. News program YTN report reports that Jong Hoon had shared information in the group chat with Seungri and Joon Young, implying he had made use of police connections to cover-up a drink-driving incident from February 2016.

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지겨운 빗자루?관리

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SBS 8 O’ Clock News also reported on alleged text messages within the group chat discussing payments made to the police as cover up for Jong Hoon’s incident. The current Korea Police Commissioner General announced there would be an investigation into these allegations. Jong Hoon’s agency, FNC Entertainment, confirmed the drink-driving incident but stated he has no ties to the police. Meanwhile, Jong Hoon would suspend all activities while cooperating with the investigation.

March 14

K-Pop boy band HIGHLIGHT member Yong Junhyung admitted to having seen and commented on Joon Young’s illegal footage in a private chat between the two of them although he was never part of the group chats. He apologised and stated that he would withdraw from HIGHLIGHT to prevent further harm being done to his fans and members.

Seungri, Joon Young and CEO Yoo turned up at the Seoul Police Agency for questioning. The Commission General announced a plan to do an internal investigation of corruption in the police force as well as a nation-wide investigation of nightclubs with regards to drugs, sexual assault, the filming and distribution of hidden camera footage, and police connections. However, the current case involving Seungri has been transferred to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office. Jung Hoon also announced his retirement and withdrawal from F.T. Island.

Media outlet Sisa Journal reveals messages dating from 2014 that showed Seungri engaging in gambling activities and soliciting of prostitutes to his business partner then. It is illegal for Korean citizens to engage in gambling activities overseas.

SBS 8 O’ Clock news identified another celebrity involved in the group chat as rock band CNBLUE’s Lee Jong Hyun.

He is also an artist under FNC Entertainment. Jong Hyun has been accused of filming women secretly and sharing the footage. Chat transcripts in his personal chats with Joon Young also showed him asking the singer to introduce him to girls to allegedly sleep with.

March 15

MBN’s News 8 reported to have found out all the identities of the eight individuals who were part of the incriminating chat group. They reported the individuals to be: Seungri, Joon Young, Jong Hoon, Yoo In Suk (former CEO of Yuri Holdings and husband of actress Park Han Byul), Burning Sun employee and acquaintance of Seungri Mr Kim, a former YG Entertainment employee, Joon Young’s friend who once appeared with him on a previous episode of a variety show, and a relative of a girl group member.

Seungri and Joon Young told the press that they have turned in their mobile phones for investigations. Joon Young’s mobile phone was famously known as the “golden phone”, a nickname singer Zico gave because according to the singer, it contained a treasure trove of phone numbers.

March 16

A senior superintendent of the police force was called in for questioning on March 15 over suspicions about his involvement in covering up for various criminal activities made by Mr Yoo and other individuals, including Jong Hoon’s drink-driving incident. While he denied the allegations, on March 16, police said he admitted to having ties to Mr Yoo and have gone for golfing and dinner with him on previous occasions. Jong Hoon arrived at the police station for questioning.

This Is A Timeline Of Everything That We Know About The Seungri Scandal So Far
Jung Joon Young speaking with members of the press.

MBN reported that Joon Young was investigated for a separate hidden camera incident last year, which was tipped off by an informant. The incident reportedly involved more than one perpetrator and they had promised to help the victims find careers in showbiz in exchange for sex.

March 17

Joon Hoon speaks to the press outside the police station after he was questioned by the police for 21 hours. He denied his involvement in the recent hidden camera scandal, but did not affirm nor deny if he had any relationship with the police officer involved, only telling the press that he had told the police everything.

While police were going through Joon Young’s “golden phone”, they found a chat log involving 2 Days 1 Night members, Cha Tae Hyun and Kim Joon Ho with Joon Young, which showed their involvement in illegal gambling. Tae Hyun and Joon Ho have issued formal apologies and will be leaving all the shows they are currently involved in.

Jung Joon Young’s home was also searched by police officers, and around the same time, KBS News released chat logs between Jung Joon Young and CEO Yoo discussing the procurement of prostitutes. The first log was reported to date as far back as December 25, 2015. In these chats, it was suggested that Joon Young was asking CEO Yoo to send some prostitutes over to his home.

Seungri grants interviews

This Is A Timeline Of Everything That We Know About The Seungri Scandal So Far

March 19

Actress Park Han Byul (whose husband is the CEO of Yuri Holdings) is revealed to be acquainted to the senior superintendent from the police force who is suspected of covering up criminal activities. This was revealed by Jong Hoon during his questioning, as he revealed that he had played golf with the senior superintendent, the CEO of Yuri Holdings and his wife (Han Byul).

Seungri granted Sisa Journal an interview through his lawyer. During the interview, he had denied allegations of providing prostitution services to his clients and gambling overseas. He claimed to have just been shooting the breeze in the chat room. He also said he’s in a position where no one would believe anything he said because even the investigators believe the chat room contents were true. He also voiced his concern over whether he would be judged fairly due to his fame and status as a celebrity.

March 20

Seungri’s request to postpone his military enlistment has been approved. He had submitted an official request on March 18. He was initially due to enlist on March 25. His new enlistment date has yet to be confirmed, and will only be decided on June 25.

This Is A Timeline Of Everything That We Know About The Seungri Scandal So Far

March 21

Seungri was booked and questioned about a club, Monkey Museum, which he opened with the CEO of Yuri Holdings. The club had been operating illegally because it was registered as a food establishment instead of an entertainment bar. One of the differences between the two is that for the latter, the customers can dance on a dance floor. The latter has to pay higher taxes compared to a restaurant.

Seungri’s lawyer also addressed the allegations that Seungri had provided prostitution services for foreign investors. In February, the chats allegedly showed that he asked his employee to find prostitutes, such as “girls who give well”, and one text from the employee confirmed that he had sent “two men” up to a hotel room. His lawyer clarified that Seungri, who was in Nagoya at the time, was asking his employee to plan a party for Singaporean socialite, Kim Lim, who is his good friend. He clarified that the girls were not prostitutes, and the “two men” were Kim’s friends who went along on the trip and he was simply sending them to the hotel where they were staying.

Jong Hoon has been booked for attempting to bribe a police officer to cover-up his drink-driving incident in 2016. The police officer involved testified that the former F.T. Island leader had offered him 2 million won ($2,380) to cover up the incident, but was rejected. Police is now investigating what transpired after that.

Joon Young has been arrested and said he admits to all charges.

March 22

According to KBS News, Seungri admitted to having knowledge of the illegal operations. SBS News reported that Seungri also admitted to knowing the senior superintendent but insisted no bribery was involved.

March 23

In an interview published by Chosun Ilbo, Seungri said he initially claimed the text messages between him and Joon Young were fabricated because there was no time stamp or context, so he couldn’t remember it because it took place in 2015. He also said he had advised Joon Young and the others against their illegal activities (recording illegal sex tapes and sharing them) through phone calls and in-person but not through text messages, so it wasn’t reflected in the chatroom.

He also said that although he mentioned in a previous show that he’s very hands-on when it comes to all his businesses, he was simply the face of Burning Sun and was not aware of its day-to-day operations or who they employed although he invested 10 million won ($11,900) in the business through Yuri Holdings. Seungri claims that he only receives belated information through his acquaintances, and states that he had even confronted Burning Sun’s CEO Lee Moon Ho over Lee’s alleged drug use.

He went on to address Kim Lim’s involvement. He said, “Kimmy is a Singaporean and is the daughter of a famous football player. I’ve received a lot of help from her, so I wanted to look out for her.”

He addressed allegations of him sending a prostitute to Indonesia for a client. “He wanted me to introduce someone who could go with him to visit the king of Indonesia. He wanted to give the person 10 million won as allowance. I simply repeated the amount to confirm. At that time, I had invested 2 billion won with him, and I needed to get on his good side because I hadn’t gotten it back. But I didn’t get the money back so I had sued him.”

Shortly after news about Kim’s involvement broke out, she posted her statement on Instagram stories, denying her involvement in the scandal. She clarified that Seungri had called her before the news broke and asked her a few weird questions that left her confused.

This Is A Timeline Of Everything That We Know About The Seungri Scandal So Far

She went on to clarify that although she was at Club Arena for a night out on December 9, 2015, and Seungri had arranged for a VIP table for her group, she and her friends partied by themselves and left after. She did not ask for any “girls” to party with her and there were no patrons or staff who accompanied their group. She said she was embroiled in the matter because she was at the wrong place and the wrong time. She also emphasised that she was not aware of the criminal activities involving Burning Sun or Seungri before this scandal broke out.

Investigations are ongoing.

Text: Valerie Toh & Hidayah Idris/CLEO / Additional reporting by: Aaron Kok / Images: TPG News, Instagram, SBS funE.