Court refuses arrest warrant for K-pop star Seungri over sex scandal prostitution charges
Seoul District Court says there is ‘room for dispute’ over alleged embezzlement by former member of boy band Big Bang, accused of arranging sex services for potential investors
A South Korean court has refused to issue an arrest warrant against K-pop star Seungri over charges including prostitution in a snowballing sex scandal, Yonhap news agency reported.
The 28-year-old singer, a former member of the popular boy band, Big Bang, and his business partner are accused of arranging sex services for potential investors and rich clients at a nightclub owned by the pair.
Seoul Central District Court said on Tuesday there was “room for dispute” over his alleged embezzlement and that there was little concern that he could destroy evidence, the South Korean news agency said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Seungri, whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, attended a court hearing over the allegations.
He later left the building, his hands cuffed and covered with a cloth, to be taken to a nearby detention centre to await the court’s decision.
Police investigators allege that Seungri and his partner procured a dozen prostitutes for a group of Japanese investors in 2015 at their upmarket Burning Sun nightclub, the agency said.
The pair are also accused of embezzling about 530 million won (US$450,000) from the business and face charges of violating sanitation codes at the club, where drug peddling was allegedly commonplace and women were said to have been regularly raped.
