Former BIGBANG member Seungri is being investigated in South Korea after a man in his 30s filed a complaint alleging that the singer assaulted him at a restaurant in Seoul’s Gangnam district.
The case comes three years after Seungri was released from prison following a conviction for nine offences connected to the Burning Sun scandal.
According to StarNews, the Gangnam Police Station received the complaint on August 26 and is investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident. The report said Seungri and the man were dining together when the alleged assault occurred.
Police have not publicly disclosed further details about what led to the complaint. Seungri has not been reported as having been convicted or charged in connection with the latest allegation, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Seungri’s previous criminal conviction
Seungri, whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, was one of the central figures in the wider Burning Sun scandal that emerged in 2019. The controversy surrounding the Seoul nightclub led to his departure from BIGBANG and his retirement from the entertainment industry.
He was eventually tried for nine offences. They included arranging prostitution, purchasing prostitution services, habitual gambling, embezzlement, violations of South Korea’s Foreign Exchange Transactions Act and Food Sanitation Act, as well as an offence involving sexual-crime material and allegations concerning the use of gang members to threaten people.
A military court initially sentenced Seungri to three years in prison and a fine. In January 2022, an appeals court reduced the prison term to 18 months. The South Korean Supreme Court upheld the sentence in May 2022. Seungri subsequently completed his sentence and was released in February 2023.
The previous case involved allegations spanning several years, including overseas gambling and the provision or arrangement of sexual services for investors. The conviction also included financial and regulatory offences.
The latest complaint is separate from those offences. Police are now examining the circumstances of the alleged incident in Gangnam and whether there is sufficient evidence to pursue further action.
Seungri debuted with BIGBANG in 2006 and became one of the group’s most recognisable members before leaving the group in 2019. His departure followed the investigation that grew around the Burning Sun nightclub and expanded into a wider criminal case.
