The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Provincial Detective Division booked Seungri on violating the Food Sanitation Act charges on Thursday, March 21. The authorities also privately summoned the Big Bang member for the fourth round of questioning about Monkey Museum's illegal activities and found out he knew the illicit operations inside the club but never did anything about it.
SBS's "8 O'Clock News" revealed the suspected illegal activities inside Monkey Museum. The unearthed chatroom messages proved Seungri knew that the club had illegal registration, but he didn't do anything to change it. Instead, he said they could bribe the police if they ever get caught.
Soompi reported the authorities are now investigating if there are high-rank police officers that help Seungri and other members of Monkey Museum to avoid a major crackdown. The 28-year-old star started the club with former Yuri Holdings CEO Yoo In Suk in 2016.
Monkey Museum was registered as a general restaurant and not as an entertainment bar. In Enforcement Decree of Food Sanitation Law's Article 21, a general restaurant is cooking and selling food business, where customers can drink with meals. The entertainment bar, on the other hand, is a cooking business that mainly sells alcoholic beverages, where "workers engaged in entertainment can be employed, or entertainment facilities can be established, or customers can sing and dance." Allegedly, they registered the club as a general restaurant to avoid paying high taxes.
During questioning, Seungri told the police he was aware that Monkey Museum's wrong registration could be a legal issue, but he just let it slide. He explained they only followed other clubs nearby that were registered under different types of businesses as a general restaurant or photography studio.
Despite the illicit activity, AllKpop noted the district office didn't investigate the Monkey Museum. Hence, there were suspicions high-ranking officials covered up its illegal doings. It also appeared that Seungri and Yoo In Suk installed a separate stage inside the club where people could dance, which was also illegal.
The Seoul Gangnam Police Station booked the person in charge of Monkey Museum on violation of the Food Sanitation Act charges after nearby businesses reported its illegal practice when it opened in 2016. The club had to pay 40 million won fine or about $35,420 for business violations.
Aside from the Food Sanitation Act, Seungri is also facing investigation for drug use allegations and providing escort services to business partners. Also, he is dealing with the controversies and other possible legal charges relating to the controversial chatroom with Jung Joon Young, CNBLUE's Jonghyun, and former F.T. Island member Jonghun.
