“He didn’t have to be there in the first place” - Netizens have mixed reactions over Seungri’s release from prison

Former BIG BANG member Seungri is set to be released from prison on February 11. The artist was previously the talk of the town in the K-pop community when the criminal charges against him were officially announced.

Seungri was found guilty and indicted on nine charges in January 2022. He was charged with solicitation of illegal p*ostitution, distribution of illegally filmed s*xual content, illegal overseas gambling, threatening, embezzlement, and assault. He was fined $989,000 along with the charges pressed against him.

Initially, the idol was sentenced to three years in prison but his jail time was reduced to one year and six months after he appealed to the Supreme Court of South Korea. The news of the idol’s release from prison spread like wildfire on the internet and has been receiving mixed reactions from netizens.

One individual tweeted:

“He didn’t have to be there in the first place”

Fan reacts to Seungri's release from prison (Image via Emilia R.S./Twitter)

---

“Seungri live for yourself” - Some netizens wish for a better life for the idol while others are not satisfied

There have been mixed reactions about the idol being released from prison. Some felt that it was unfair from the start to bring Seungri into the case, while others felt the sentence was too short for the idol. Some also wished that he leads a good and healthy life after his release.

Some netizens felt that should get the 'punishment he deserves' and that others involved in the case should be punished as well.

Netizens who believe that he did not commit any s*xual offense believe that the artist should begin living for himself once he is released from prison. They mentioned that the media was feeding them "lies and slander" about the case and wished to hear the "true story" from the idol himself.

His fan mentioned:

“Dear Seungri live for yourself. I support him in whatever he chooses to do. What is important is his honesty. It is important to hear his true story. Not the lies and slander of the media. I hope one day people will think and comment about him based on logic.”

---

Seungri and The Burning Sun scandal

The idol’s case was referred to the military court, which is considered one of the highest and most trustworthy court trials. Hence, many people believed that the idol was indeed guilty of all the crimes and charges that were mentioned by the media at that time.

After being found guilty of all nine charges, a military court sentenced him to three years in prison. However, the sentence was later reduced to one year and six months when he appealed to the Supreme Court of Korea. The idol was then transferred to a civilian period after the final sentencing.

The idol was involved in a club called The Burning Sun, where he was one of the directors. The club was involved in s*x trafficking and p*ostituion. After a s*xual harassment case came to light, a scandal broke out unveiling a huge racket of r*pe, assault, use of date r*pe drugs, p*ostituion, and much more behind the scenes at the club. Leaker chats also showed the idol's involvement in hiring and soliciting prostitutes.

---

Know more about Seungri

Seungri started his career as a dancer by appearing on the television show Let’s Cokeplay: M.Net Battle Shinhwa. The idol was later scouted by the agency YG Entertainment and joined the group BIG BANG

He was the first member of BIG BANG to deliver a performance and act alongside Songai back in 2008. He also featured in a film called Why Did You Come To My House with fellow BIG BANG member T.O.P.

Following the charges pressed against him, he officially announced his retirement from the industry through Instagram on march 11, 2019, and was sentenced to jail in August 2021.