Military Prosecutors Demand 5-Year Prison Sentence for Big Bang's Seungri... Seungri States "No Collusion with Authorities"

Former Big Bang member Seungri (real name Lee Seung-hyun), who has been indicted on seven charges including habitual gambling and violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, is entering the courtroom to attend the warrant hearing held on the 13th at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] On the 1st, the military prosecution requested a sentence of 5 years in prison and a fine of 20 million won for Seungri (real name Lee Seunghyun, 31), a former member of the group Big Bang, who was indicted on charges including arranging prostitution for foreign investors and overseas gambling involving about 2 billion won.

At the sentencing hearing held at the Ground Operations Command Ordinary Military Court in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province (presiding judge Colonel Hwang Minje), the military prosecution explained the reason for the request, saying, "He provided sexual services to foreign investors for his own economic benefit and maintained relationships through gambling. Despite being caught, he operated an unlicensed entertainment establishment for two years, and all crimes including embezzlement of corporate funds, habitual gambling, and personal revenge are serious."

Seungri's defense lawyer argued, "This trial is merely about making a famous celebrity kneel and scolding him to 'know your crime and reflect on it.'"

In his final statement, Seungri claimed, "The suspicion that there was an organized drug distribution within Burning Sun and a force protecting it has been thoroughly investigated and proven to have no connection to me," and "I am not involved in the sexual assault crimes of the KakaoTalk chatroom members who are currently imprisoned."

He added, "I have no collusive relationship with any public authority, and this has also been revealed during the investigation process. Over the past three years, I have taken time for self-reflection and promise to be reborn through this incident."

Earlier, Seungri was indicted on charges of arranging prostitution multiple times for investors from Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, and other countries from December 2015 to January of the following year to attract investment for clubs and financial investment businesses. He is also accused of personally purchasing sexual services around the same period (violation of the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Arranging Sexual Traffic, etc.).

He was also indicted for embezzling about 528 million won from the club Burning Sun under the pretext of brand usage fees for the Seoul Gangnam bar 'Monkey Museum' (violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes), and embezzling 22 million won of Yulli Holdings company funds under the pretext of employees' personal attorney fees (embezzlement in the course of duty). Additionally, he faces charges of habitual gambling and violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act.

The sentencing hearing date for Seungri will be decided later.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.