The 'Strong Baby' singer steps down from the entertainment industry after he's officially named a suspect in police investigation for allegedly providing sexual escort services for foreign investors.
- Mar 11, 2019
AceShowbiz - Seungri is stepping down from show business amid his prostitution scandal. The Big Bang member shockingly announced his decision to retire from the entertainment industry via a statement posted on his Instagram account on Monday, March 11, local time.
"This is Seungri," he opened his statement. "At this point, I think it would be best if I retire from the entertainment industry. I decided on retiring from the entertainment industry as the issues that I caused a societal disturbance with are too major. Regarding the issues that are being investigated, I will be investigated diligently and reveal all the suspicions."
Realizing that the negative criticisms regarding the scandal do not only affect him, but also those close to him, he went on noting, "Receiving criticism and hate from the public for the past month and a half and with the situation of all the investigative agencies in the country currently investigating me, I am even being cornered as a traitor of the nation. I personally cannot tolerate causing harm to everyone around me in order to save myself."
"I sincerely thank all of the fans in and outside of Korea who have given me lots of love for the past 10 years, and I think this is where I stop even if it's at least [to protect] the honor of YG and BIGBANG," he added. "Again, I am sorry and apologize once again. I have been thankful to everyone until now."
Seungri released the statement after he was officially named a suspect in police investigation for allegedly providing sexual escort services for foreign investors. He was booked on Monday at around 2:30 P.M. KST. The Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency banned Seungri from leaving the country due to the ongoing investigation.
Police launched the investigation after text messages Seungri had written back in 2015 surfaced, wherein he allegedly told employees to procure prostitutes for investors in his investment company. Three to four other people in the KakaoTalk group chat have also been booked by police.
The 28-year-old star's label YG Entertainment, however, denied the accusations, saying in a previously released statement, "We asked him about the matter and want to confirm that the article is based on fabricated text messages and is false."
Seungri is scheduled to enlist to military on March 25 and there's no plan of postponement despite the investigation. The Military Manpower Administration (MMA) said, "As long as he does not request a delay, he will be enlisting. If he submits a request, we will consider it, but his current situation does not fit the requirements."
The army confirmed, "The MMA will be taking care of the required procedures. If he comes here, we will run the required procedures." The police added, "Even if Seungri enlists, that won't affect the investigations. There are many things to consider if he's enlisting, but the police will continue the investigations."
