New drug scandal as K-pop star B.I quits iKON after LSD allegation despite label’s denial of drug use
- Online portal Dispatch claimed to have chat messages with B.I asking an anonymous contact how to get and use LSD
- YG Entertainment denied any drug use, but still terminated the singer’s contract
By Dong Sun-hwa
A report accusing B.I, the leader of K-pop boy band iKON, of drug use has been denied by the singer’s agency, YG Entertainment.
Despite the denial, B.I announced he would be leaving the pop outfit and the agency has terminated his contract.
South Korean online entertainment portal Dispatch quoted a spokesperson for YG as saying the agency had been strictly monitoring drug use by its artists. “We had a drug test [in the company] but B.I and other iKON members all tested negative,” the spokesperson said.
Dispatch claimed it had received online chats from April 2016 between B.I and an anonymous acquaintance that hinted at drug use. In the chats, B.I asked the acquaintance to buy hallucinogenic drug LSD on his behalf, it said.
He reportedly asked: “How much does it cost?” “Do you know a dealer?” and “How do I use LSD?” He also said: “I’m asking you about this because we did it together in the past.”