iKON leader B.I has been removed from YG Entertainment's website after messages between him and an alleged drug dealer was laked to the press. This development comes at the heels of the iKON member's decision to leave the group to protect them from the scandal.
According to Koreaboo, YG Entertainment immediately made changes after B.I made the decision to withdraw from iKON and terminate his exclusive contract with the agency to self reflect and protect the group from further censure. After messages between a drug dealer and B.I was leaked on entertainment site Dispatch, he admitted that he suffered from a low point that made him want to try out LSD. However, he clarified that he did not push through with it because he was afraid of the consequences. In his statement, he announced that he was leaving the group and apologized to all the fans and his members for his lapse in judgement.
iKON B.I's removal from the YG official page comes as a shock to many fans as only six members now comprise the team photo for iKON. Some noticed that while Seungri, who was similarly embroiled in a scandal over allegedly facilitating prostitution, was still part of the BIG BANG group photo even though his solo image was removed from the roster of talents. After the prostitution scandal broke out, Seungri announced his retirement from the entertainment industry and postponed his enlistment until such time he was cleared of charges against him.
Even as B.I made the decision to leave iKON, iKONICs all over the world are not yet ready to give up on the leader that brought iKON to where they are today. A change.org petition calling for B.I, whose real name is Kim Hanbin to stay with the group has already garnered 736,596 signatures.
According to the petition, even though B.I has been cast in a negative light after Dispatch's expose on his conversation with the alleged drug dealer. It cited that there was also no indication that the iKON leader went through with drug use because YG's monthly drug tests showed that none of the iKON members were positive for drug use.
Meanwhile, a government petition was recently lodged to ban all activities of YG artists through the Blue House Bulletin Board. The petition calls for the ban to cover all activities including broadcast because of YG artists' alleged involvement in drugs, reported Soompi.
"YG Entertainment houses a large number of idol singers, actors, and entertainers. There have been countless drug scandals recently. To say that these are just suspicions, there are too many drug scandals occurring in one agency, which points to a serious problem inside the company," the petition stated.
Among the roster of talents under YG Entertainment are BIG BANG, WINNER, iKON, BLACKPINK, AKMU, Lee Hi, One and SECHSKIES.
