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On Thursday, December 12, several fans of former BIGBANG member Seungri took to X and began to trend the keyword, "Seungri Shines Brighter." This was to celebrate his birthday, which falls on the same day. However, several netizens were seemingly not happy with the birthday celebrations, given the idol's history in the industry.
Trending
The K-pop idol grew infamous for his Gangnam club, Burning Sun, which turned controversial in 2019. Several other idols and South Korean celebrities were also involved in the scandal, as the club was exposed for holding an online group chat where nonconsensual and inappropriate pictures and videos of women visiting there were uploaded.
As one of the club's directors, Seungri faced nine charges, including 'prostitution mediation and purchase,' and was sentenced to prison for a year and a half. However, following his release in February 2023, he has been trying to re-enter the industry, but netizens have been strongly aversive of the same.
Therefore, when fans began to celebrate his birthday through online trends, netizens were angered at their actions and criticized them. Here are a few reactions:
"Yall f**king idiots are giving happy wishes to a disgusting human being, he trafficked people and videos of women INCLUDING MINORS. F**k yall, this is disgusting," one X user wrote.
"I was shocked to my core like wtf is wrong with these people," said a netizen.
"Never reported a hashtag so fast," added another.
"Like there's no way they're saying stuff like this with their whole chest. how disgraceful," commented a user.
More users talked about how they were shocked and displeased to see the idol's birthday celebrations trend on X.
"My eyes must be playing up cause I know I don’t see THAT name up there," stated a netizen.
"It is absolutely unfathomable to me how people are still supporting him," said an X user.
"I was confused why this sh*t’s trending? how tf does he still have fans??" stated another.
"'Shines brighter' yeah when he's burning in hell," added one netizen.
All you need to know about the former BIGBANG member Seungri and his association with the Burning Sun scandal
Lee Seung-hyun, or Seungri, is a former South Korean singer-songwriter who debuted under BIGBANG and its agency, YG Entertainment, in 2006. However, the idol left the agency and the group in March 2019, following his associations and allegations that were raised in light of the Burning Sun scandal.
The Burning Sun scandal, which landed on the internet in 2019, was one of the most shocking controversies in the Korean entertainment industry. According to a police investigation into the Gangnam club Burning Sun, which was kickstarted by Seungri, it was alleged to be involved in prostitution, drug trafficking, and police corruption.
Moreover, the chatroom maintained by the regular visitors of the club exposed many Korean celebrities' involvement, with allegations of r*pe, use of spy cams, s*xual bribery, filming and watching nonconsensual videos of women, and more. Some of the celebrities involved in the chatroom included Yong Jun-hyung of Highlight, Choi Jong-hoon of F.T. Island, and Lee Jong-hyun of CNBLUE.
Therefore, as the club owner, Seungri was initially charged with three years of imprisonment, following a series of investigations and questioning. Meanwhile, many netizens felt that even that sentence was not enough. However, when the idol returned to the industry, many noticed his activities in Hong Kong, speculating that he might kickstart a career there.
This rumor was sparked due to the idol's alleged visa purchases for the country, along with Hong Kong's talent admission schemes, which allow artists to apply for a seamless relocation to the state. However, the Hong Kong government released a statement in May 2024 stating that they haven't received any visa application from Seungri.
As netizens have already been criticizing every movement of Seungri in the industry, they were naturally not happy with the recent birthday celebration on X.
