Seungri, suspect in Burning Sun scandal, will not be arrested as court dismisses warrant request
Former South Korean Big Bang member Seungri will not be arrested by police as a request for a warrant was dismissed by Seoul Central District Court. He was one of the accused in the Burning Sun scandal, which shook the Korean entertainment industry in February.
The former singer-songwriter along with Yuri Holdings CEO Yoo In-suk were expected to be placed under arrest after the court hearing on their warrants Tuesday. However, Judge Shin Jong Yeol of the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the request stating there was no probable cause.
According to a report in allkpop, the judge said that in Seungri and Yoo In-suk's case, "There's room to dispute the main suspicion of embezzlement. It's also difficult to acknowledge a reason for detention, such as potential destruction of evidence, for the other suspicions."
The two are facing charges of soliciting prostitution for their clients and investors, as well as for embezzling funds from Burning Sun, one of the night clubs in Seoul, where Seungri previously was the public relations director. Seungri was called in for investigation multiple times before the court hearing and he complied with the investigation and went through interrogation.
When news of the former singer soliciting prostitution broke through a chatroom, he denied allegations. It was later reported that he was also a part of the chatroom where Jung Joon-young had distributed illicit photos and videos of women who were taped without their permission.
The news of him embezzling funds from the Burning Sun club surfaced later after an investigation took place. The 'Burning Sun Scandal' also revealed there was corruption in the police department, which led to Jung Joon-young getting away scot-free once in 2016 on charges of sexual assault by his then-girlfriend.
Seungri and Jung Joon-young both offered a public apology after the news broke. While Jung Joon-young confessed to charges of taping women without permission and distributing them, Seungri has since denied all charges.