Prosecution Seeks 3-Year Prison Sentence for Former YG CEO Yang Hyun-suk on 'Retaliatory Threat' Charges

Former YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The prosecution has requested a prison sentence for former YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyunsuk, who was indicted on charges of covering up a drug investigation involving former idol group iKON member B.I (real name Kim Hanbin).

On the morning of the 14th, the 23rd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Jo Byunggu) held the final trial for Yang and another defendant, who were charged with retaliatory threats under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

On this day, the prosecutor requested the court to sentence Yang to three years in prison, stating that he "caused fear by threatening the whistleblower."

On the other hand, Yang has denied most of the allegations during the trial, saying, "Most of the statements in the indictment are not true." He claimed, "When I said 'You should be a good kid,' it was out of concern, telling him not to do drugs," and "I remember choosing my words very carefully," "It is unthinkable that I would say such things."

Previously, Yang was indicted on charges of persuading and threatening Mr. A to obstruct the investigation into B.I after Mr. A was arrested on drug charges in 2016 and testified to the police about B.I's suspected drug purchases.

At that time, Mr. A raised suspicions that although B.I was under investigation for related charges, the investigation was dismissed due to collusion between the police and YG. In particular, he claimed that the police had evidence of B.I's drug use but did not investigate, with Yang at the center of this. In June 2019, he also reported this to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC).

After receiving materials from the ACRC, the prosecution compiled the investigation results and indicted four people, including B.I and Yang. The prosecution believes Yang threatened Mr. A by saying, "Killing you in the entertainment industry is nothing, you should be a good kid." The court has scheduled Yang's sentencing for the 22nd of next month.

Meanwhile, B.I was belatedly indicted in April 2016 for purchasing and partially using drugs such as LSD and marijuana through Mr. A, and was sentenced to three years in prison with a four-year probation.

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