A
former
South
Korean
boy
band
star,
once
one
of
the
country's
biggest
names
in
showbusiness,
was
jailed
by
a
military
court
for
three
years
on
Thursday,
12
August
for
arranging
sex
services
for
potential
business
partners.
Military
prosecutors,
who
referred
to
the
charges
as
"sex
bribery",
had
asked
the
judge
to
impose
a
five-year
jail
term
and
a
20
million
won
(US$18,000,
€14,500)
fine.
Prostitution
is
illegal
in
South
Korea.
Seungri,
whose
real
name
is
Lee
Seung-hyun,
quit
five-piece
group
Big
Bang
more
than
two
years
ago
after
prosecutors
charged
him.
The
band,
once
called
the
kings
of
South
Korea's
K-pop
scene,
have
sold
more
than
150
million
records
worldwide.
The
30-year-old
was
accused
of
offering
the
prostitutes
in
the
hope
of
securing
fresh
funding
for
his
entertainment
and
restaurant
business.
Judges
from
a
military
court
heard
the
case
because
the
former
singer
had
been
enlisted
in
the
army
for
his
mandatory
national
service
at
the
time
charges
were
brought.
"It
is
hard
to
see
the
defendant
was
not
aware
of
financial
payments
paid
to
the
women
for
sex," judge
Hwang
Min-je
said.
The
court
also
found
Seungri
guilty
of
illicit
overseas
gambling,
operating
an
adult
entertainment
venue
without
a
license
and
embezzlement.
Seungri
has
denied
most
of
the
charges.
He
claimed
that
his
business
partner
was
responsible
for
soliciting
prostitutes
and
maintained
he
did
not
visit
Las
Vegas
to
use
company
funds
for
gambling.
The
former
pop
star
had
sat
on
the
board
of
the
controversial
Burning
Sun
club
as
its
PR
director.
He
was
previously
questioned
by
police
in
Seoul
over
allegations
of
drug
use
and
sexual
assault
at
the
nightclub
in
Seoul's
glamorous
and
upmarket
Gangnam
neighbourhood.
Police
in
Seoul
have
also
quizzed
Seungri
in
the
past
over
accusations
that
he
was
part
of
a
chat
group
in
which
celebrities
shared
secretly
filmed
sex
videos.
The
venue
has
since
closed
since
the
scandal
emerged.
The
revelations
also
uncovered
a
spate
of
allegations
against
other
musicians
and
personnel
at
YG
Entertainment
-
Seungri's
former
agency
and
one
of
the
biggest
K-pop
management
firms.
It
prompted
the
agency
CEO,
Yang
Hyun-suk,
to
quit
after
he
faced
accusations
of
illicit
gambling.
K-pop
is
arguably
South
Korea's
biggest
cultural
export.
The
billion-dollar
industry
has
seen
South
Korean
stars
become
celebrities
across
Asia
and
other
parts
of
the
world.
How
Has
South
Korea
Reacted
To
The
Sentence?
The
judge
ordered
Seungri
to
be
jailed
immediately.
South
Korean
news
agency
Yonhap
called
him
a
"disgraced" and
"scandal-ridden
celebrity."
Reaction
to
the
verdict
was
swift
on
Thursday,
with
many
users
online
saying
Seungri's
punishment
was
too
light
for
the
offences.
"While
it
is
fortunate
he
is
finally
being
jailed,
the
term
is
too
short,"
wrote
one
user
on
Naver,
the
country's
largest
social
media
network.
Another
posted:
"It
should've
been
30
years,
not
three."
For
women
in
distress
help
available
at,
Central
Social
Welfare
Board
-Police
Helpline:
1091/
1291,
(011)
23317004;
Shakti
Shalini-
women's
shelter:
(011)
24373736/
24373737;
All
India
Women's
Conference:
10921/
(011)
23389680;
Joint
Women's
Programme:
(011)
24619821;
Sakshi-
violence
intervention
center:
(0124)
2562336/
5018873;
Nirmal
Niketan
(011)
27859158;
JAGORI
(011)
26692700;
Nari
Raksha
Samiti:
(011)
23973949;
RAHI
Recovering
and
Healing
from
Incest.
A
support
centre
for
women
survivors
of
child
sexual
abuse:
(011)
26238466/
26224042,
26227647.