Ex-Big Band member Seungri’s sentence reduced to 1 year and 6 months at appeal trial

On Thursday, the High Court for Armed Forces carried out K pop idol Seungri's appeal trial. According to the South Korean news outlet, Soompi, on January 27's appeal trial, the justice department sentenced former Big Band member Seungri to one year and six months in prison. The punishment, however, is a reduced sentence from his first sentence of three years in prison, along with a fine of 1,156,900,000 won (about $994,544).

Seungri's sentence reduced at the appeal trial

The report suggests earlier, Seungri and the military prosecution had both filed appeals on his original sentence. The reduced sentence seems to follow Seungri's chance in stance. In the initial trial, Seungri had denied eight of his nine charges excluding the violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act. However, he had acknowledged all his charges in the appeal trial and conveyed his remorse. 

The nine charges on Seungri includes the violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes, violation of the Food Sanitation Act, embezzlement, violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes, habitual gambling, violation o the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, prostitution mediation, purchase of prostitution services, and special violence instigation. 

After the first trial which was held last year, the ex-Big Band member is currently imprisoned after being placed under arrest by the court. Both Seungri and the military prosecution did not appeal to the Supreme Court, so in the case that the appeal sentence is finalized, the K pop idol will be released after serving one year and one month more of his sentence. The third trial will be carried out by the Supreme Court of Korea. 

Seungri's scandal

The case first came to light when the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency reported that Seungri and his business partner Yoo In Suk (co-CEO of Yuri Holdings) embezzled funds from Yuri Holdings for business purposes. Seungri was also under investigation for the occurrence of prostitution, related to a 2015 Christmas party, while Yoo In Suk admitted that he called and paid for entertainers for Japanese investors. The hotel bill was reportedly paid using a YG Entertainment corporate card, however, Seungri denied knowing about it.

After his scandal was publicised, Seungri released a statement via his Instagram handle and announced that he would be stepping down from the entertainment industry and will be quitting his band Big Bang that also includes other members- G Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, and Daesung. 

"I think it would be better for me to retire from the entertainment industry at this point. I have decided to retire from the entertainment industry because the issue that caused a social scandal is so great that I will sincerely investigate the matter under investigation and reveal all the suspicions that have accumulated. I have been criticised and hated by the people for the past month and a half, and now I am in a situation where all the domestic investigative agencies are investigating me and I am being called a national traitor. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the many fans at home and abroad who have given me a lot of love over the past 10 years. sorry again sorry again Thank you to everyone so far," he wrote in the statement.

Image: Instagram/@seungriseyo