Former Big Bang member Seungri will be out of prison on February 11 after completing his sentence of one year and six months in jail. The Supreme Court of South Korea finalized the former idol's sentence in May, leading to his transfer from the military to the civilian prison.
Seungri shook the South Korean entertainment industry to its very core after being involved in the Burning Sun scandal in 2019. Criminal charges were then pressed against him, resulting in his indictment and resignation as an idol, making him leave his K-pop band, Big Bang. So, will he quickly resume his activities and return to the limelight?
AllKpop noted that there are worries that the 32-year-old will immediately resume his activities on YouTube. However, the majority opinion in the industry is that he has to keep his profile low until the public becomes less hostile to him and accept his return before he can enter the limelight again.
Seungri was indicted on nine criminal charges in January 2020, including solicitation of illegal prostitution, illegal overseas gambling, spreading illegally filmed sexual content, embezzlement, threatening, and assault.
He was found guilty of all nine charges during his initial military court trial and received a sentence of three years in prison. However, the High Military Court reduced his sentence to one and a half years after he filed an appeal. The High Military Court of the Ministry of National Defense then held a hearing.
At the time, he admitted all the charges filed against him and revealed his plan to reflect. The High Military Court seemed to have considered these things, resulting in reducing his sentence.
From there, Seungri was transferred to the Yeosu Prison, a known civilian prison facility, after being discharged from the military. He was also ordered to pay a fine worth 1.15 billion won or about $950,000. He was first imprisoned at the Military Correctional Institution.
For starters, Seungri made a name as part of the iconic K-pop band Big Bang. He debuted with the group in 2006 but left in 2019.
He was enlisted in the military in March 2020 and was supposed to be discharged in September 2021. But before that happened, he was convicted in August 2021, putting his discharge on hold until the final decision was made in his case.
Seungri's conviction stemmed from the infamous Burning Sun scandal in early 2019. Come March of the said year; he announced his decision to retire from the entertainment industry.
