Yang Hyun-suk, a former head of K-pop management firm YG Entertainment. Photo: Jo Jong-won/Newsis/AP
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https://scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3036172/ex-big-bang-singer-seungri-former-k-pop-boss-may-face Entertainment
Ex-Big Bang singer Seungri, former K-pop boss may face gambling charges over Las Vegas hotel casino jaunts
- After sex and drug scandals that led K-pop star and YG Entertainment boss to quit music industry, police recommend pair be prosecuted for habitual gambling
- Seungri and Yang Hyun-suk gambled hundreds of thousands of US dollars during frequent trips to Las Vegas, police investigators say
Seungri, formerly of K-pop band Big Bang, could face prosecution for habitual gambling.
Seungri, a former member of K-pop boy band Big Bang, and Yang Hyun-suk, the scandal-ridden former head of South Korean entertainment giant YG Entertainment, each spent several hundred million won gambling abroad, police said as they wrapped up a months-long investigation.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it would refer Yang and Seungri to prosecutors with a recommendation that they be indicted on charges of habitual gambling. But the police agency said it would not recommend charges related to suspected foreign-exchange-law violations.
The 49-year-old Yang and Seungri, 28, had been under investigation over allegations that they regularly gambled at hotel casinos in Las Vegas and violated foreign exchange law to secure gambling money.
Police investigators said Yang and Seungri had gambled in Las Vegas once or twice a year since the second half of 2014, the earliest date a prosecution would still be valid under the statute of limitations.
Under South Korean law, citizens are not allowed to place bets within the country, or even gamble at casinos in foreign countries.
The amount of money spent by Yang and Seungri reportedly reached several hundred million won and 1 billion won (US$823,000) respectively.
Seungri gambled at one hotel in Las Vegas, while Yang patronised several hotels, the investigators said, adding that the singer earned some money from gambling and that they never gambled together.
Former K-pop star Seungri has reportedly admitted to police that he gambled abroad.
The two celebrities reportedly admitted to having gambled abroad.
The police agency also plans to refer three acquaintances of Yang to prosecutors on charges of habitual gambling in the United States.
Police investigators looked into suspicions of foreign exchange violations by Yang and Seungri but failed to find evidence to support charges. They also investigated suspicions that Yang embezzled company money to secure funds for gambling but failed to find any evidence.
Yang, an idol turned K-pop guru who once led one of the biggest K-pop management firms, resigned from the top post at YG Entertainment in June as some of its biggest artists, including Seungri, were embroiled in a series of sex and drug scandals.
Last month, the police agency dropped pimping charges against Yang, saying police investigators had failed to verify suspicions that Yang arranged sex services for foreign investors in 2014.
Read the full story at the Korea Times