Who is Nam Tae Hyun? Reality star Seo Min-jae accuses former Winner member of using meth
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: Korean celebrities have a pretty clean track record when it comes to staying away from illegal activities like drug use. But once in a while, there are occasions when K-pop idols are embroiled in controversies that are much graver than just dating rumors or bullying accusations. Illicit drug use is a grave crime in South Korea but over the years, fans are aware that a few K-pop idols are guilty of using drugs. Oftentimes, these accusations come from whistle-blowers who are police informants but this time, it comes from a close acquaintance of the accused.
On August 20, Korean media reported about a cryptic account of a variety show actress, Seo Min-jae, who allegedly exposed the former Winner member, Nam Tae-hyun (stage name Taehyun) of using hard drugs. Taehyun made his debut as a member of the YG Entertainment boy group Winner back in 2013 but departed from the boy group three years after. Now it has been claimed that Taehyun uses the drug Philopon (the brand name for methamphetamine in East Asian countries).
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Who is Nam Taehyun?
Nam Taehyun is a 1994-born, former member of YG Entertainment's 2013-debuted boy group Winner. After debuting with the boy group and releasing a few albums with them, Nam Taehyun took a hiatus from the group's activities in order to deal with issues regarding his mental health. Following the hiatus, Taehyun announced his exit from Winner in November 2016 after terminating his contract with YG Entertainment. The singer took to Instagram to inform fans that he would be working on his mental health and would make a comeback with his music soon.
In March 2017, he founded a music label, South Buyers Club (The South), and debuted his own indie boy band named South Club which was active from 2017 to 2018. The label from Taehyun was shut down in November of 2019 and it was reported that South Club has signed under a new label. In the past, Taehyun was embroiled in a dating controversy when it was revealed that he had cheated on Singer Jang Jae-in while being in a relationship with her after working on a tvN drama. Not only that but, Nam Taehyun also caused concern amongst fans when he revealed that he had attempted suicide due to malicious comments online. Taehyun made this comment after the death of singer Sulli.
Seo Min-jae accuses Ex-Winner member Nam Taehyun of assault and drug use
The person who accused Taehyun of drug use is Seo Min-jae, who was seen in the 2020 variety program 'Heart Signal 3' and its 2021 spin-off series, 'Friends'. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Seo Min-jae accuses Taehyun of using meth. On August 20, Min-jae posted a photo with Taehyun on her Instagram account with the caption, "Nam Tae Hyun uses philopon. His syringe is either in my room or in my office cabinet. He also assaulted me."
The reality star then allegedly began uploading a series of posts that contained misspellings and incomplete sentences like "Nam Tae Hyun and me, the druggies", "They beat me up", "Look in the cabinet in my office", "There is a recording on my phone," among others. With the issue blowing up in the Korean Entertainment industry, Nam Taehyun's agency released a quick statement claiming that they were checking the facts about the issue and were on their way to meet him. More updates will be released soon.