Seungri, a former member of the famous K-pop group BigBang, has denied rumors that he would attend an event in Indonesia linked to the scandal that led to his departure from the South Korean entertainment industry.
TSV Management, an Indonesian event planning company, recently announced an event called Burning Sun Surabaya via Instagram Stories. The post featured the words “Best Honour” along with an image of Seungri. According to the announcement, the event was scheduled for August 31 at a club named Gentlemens in Surabaya.
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Photo Credit: https://people.com/
The news quickly sparked outrage online, as many believed it referenced the notorious Burning Sun scandal from 2019, which involved serious allegations of sex crimes, drug use, and police corruption at a Seoul nightclub associated with the same name.
Seungri, whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, was sentenced to three years in prison for his involvement in the scandal. His sentence was later reduced to 18 months after an appeal, and he completed his sentence in February 2023. He was convicted on nine charges, including arranging sex trafficking for foreign investors in 2015 and embezzling funds from the Burning Sun nightclub.
In an interview with South Korean media outlet Ilgan Sports on August 11, the 33-year-old singer denied any involvement with the Indonesian event, calling the claims “obviously ridiculous.” He stated, “I don’t even know where the Indonesian region is. It says I’m going there on August 31, but I have no plans to do so.”
Seungri also warned that he would take legal action for infringement of image rights and defamation due to the spread of false information. He added, “I want to live quietly, but stories about me keep coming out, so I have to set the record straight as people are tired of them.”
Following the backlash, TSV and Gentlemens posted a video on Instagram on August 11, clarifying that the poster never actually stated Seungri would attend the event. They explained that mentioning Seungri and the Burning Sun scandal was meant as a reminder about safety for clubgoers, particularly women. In response to the controversy, they announced that the Burning Sun Surabaya event would be canceled.
