Ex K-pop star jailed for 3 years
South Korea’s former K-pop star Seungri has been jailed for three years for arranging prostitution and gambling.
He was convicted by a military court of organising sex services for businessmen he wanted to invest in his nightclub.
The presiding judge said the 30-year-old – whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, had also stolen money from the club to gamble, mainly in Las Vegas.
Seungri was a member of the Big Bang boy band that has sold more than 150 million records around the globe.
During the trial he denied most of the charges.
The case was heard at the military court in Yongin, south of Seoul, because Seungri enlisted in the army last year.
He retired from showbiz in 2019, after the charges were formally brought against him.
Seungri, who was once described as “the Great Gatsby of Korea” for his lavish lifestyle, used to have a gigantic fanbase in South Korea and around the world.
BBC/Mercy Chukwudiebere
