According to a report on news agency AP, the Defense Ministry said that the former member of the boy band BIGBANG was also fined 1.15 billion won ($989,000) and taken into custody after the ruling by an army court in Yongin, near Seoul.
Seungri, whose real name is Lee Seung-Hyun, was indicted in January 2020 on multiple charges, including arranging illegal sexual services for business investors from Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong from 2015 to 2016. He was also convicted of embezzling funds from a Seoul nightclub he ran and violating laws prohibiting overseas gambling by betting heavily at foreign casinos from 2013 to 2017. He denied most of the charges.
His case was transferred to a military court after he enlisted in the army in March last year for 21 months of military service. Yonhap news agency reported that Seungri appeared in court in a combat uniform and shook his head repeatedly as the judge announced the verdict.
Following the news of his conviction, fans of the K-Pop star took to social media to show him their support. “I would’ve been okay with the decision if they found Seungri guilty based on all the evidence that was presented BUT they didn’t. And yet here they are giving him prison time even after the lack of evidence re: his involvement in the prostitution case,” a fan said on Twitter.
Another fan added “Sorry but if you followed Seungri’s case, there’s no way you should accept the court’s decision, especially after hearing the witnesses and Ri’s statements, and now the judge’s statements. They had no solid evidence against him and he never hurt anyone or was accused by anyone.”
I would’ve been okay with the decision if they found Seungri guilty based on all the evidences that were presented… https://t.co/plgpb9cjMc
— 알렉사 (@ALEXAsaki) 1628753688000
I will continue supporting Seungri https://t.co/8fs4hrZ1rd
— Chai (@osobelles) 1628760324000
Be strong our panda We are always with you never you alone #SEUNGRI https://t.co/VQZ70n4Ww7
— IIIF (@SS03561746) 1628778690000
We will wait for you Seungri! Be strong! Everything will be okay! ☘️ #SEUNGRI https://t.co/79oQRUHY5z
— monengxxix (@monengxxix) 1628762037000
Yeah not done yet✊Truth always wins. We trust you Ri✊❤️#BIGBANG #seungri#JusticeForSeungri https://t.co/rTQRqDhV9U
— xx_ya_min (@YaminEaint2) 1628775026000
Meanwhile, there was a host of angry netizens who demanded a harsher sentence. They argued that the former K-Pop star was “only given 3 years” even after being found guilty on 9 counts.
Voicing their disappointment, fans slammed the judgement saying, “Seungri getting sentenced to only 3 years when Ilhoon got 2 years for smocking weed, make it make sense.”
“I’m glad Seungri got jail time because I was worried he’d only get a slap on the wrist but 3 years?????? He should have gotten 10, especially when Ilhoon got 2 for smoking weed?????” another said in a Tweet.
Seungri: has multiple testimonies, piles of evidence and the decision of the Korean justice system against him Ra… https://t.co/XIrZgqtywC
— Sage (@YvesSernin) 1628759481000
I woke up to the news that seungri is getting 3 years in jail…….. ONLY 3 YEARA FOR 9 CHARGES THATS NOT ENOUGH
— ℕ (@gcfnita) 1628774533000
I’m glad Seungri got jail time because I was worried he’d only get a slap on the wrist but 3 years?????? He should… https://t.co/mRQLhtjdtF
— ミ☆⁶ || 우리6 (@wookberry) 1628757311000
Still stuck on the fact that Seungri was found guilty on NINE charges, and only got 3 years. https://t.co/ayC7rZDoFv
— S ⁷ChimmysYellowHoodie (@jimins_calico_) 1628792118000
They gave Seungri only 3 years of “prison”. Yet they gave Ilhoon 2 years for his marijuana use. Something’s not right
— Yas (@kjivocals) 1628806755000
Before his fall from grace, Seungri was one of the biggest stars in K-pop because of the success of BIGBANG, which attracted huge followings in Asia and other parts of the world after its debut in 2006. Forbes magazine reported in 2016 that the group had made $44 million in pretax earnings the previous year.
Seungri left the group in 2019 after the media reported the prostitution accusations. His case is one of several scandals that have roiled South Korea’s entertainment industry in recent years.
In 2019, singer Jung Joon-young received a six-year prison term and former boy band member Choi Jong-hoon a five-year term after they were found guilty of illicit sexual relations with a woman who was unable to resist.
