Following the CCTV footage of the assault of Kim Sang Kyo being released, Seungri of Big Bang, his club Burning Sun and it’s employees, as well as a number of celebrities are being investigated for a number of cases from prostitution, sex tapes, tax evasion, drug use and distribution, rape, and more. Here is a breakdown of everything that has happened over the last two and a half months.
January 28th, 2019: CCTV footage of a November 24th assault at Burning Sun Nightclub is released by News Desk.
Several security guards at the club are seen dragging Kim Sang Kyo out of the club causing him to fall on the ground, then club director, Mr. Jang grabs the man by his hair, hits him in the face, drags him out into the road where he continues to beat him. The security guards is also seen helping to assault Mr. Kim.
Police were called to the scene and Mr. Kim was arrested for seven charges that included criminal battery, an indecent act, obstruction of business according to police, while Burning Sun claimed he was arrested for sexual assault. Additionally, the CCTV footage shows Kim being handled roughly by police after being handcuffed.
Mr. Kim gave this statement about the assault:
One person took the lead in beating me and the security guards helped out. It was extremely shameful. I remember everyone was watching me.
He also posted to social media:
On November 24 at Burning Sun, a woman who was being sexual harassed grabbed my shoulder and hid behind me. I asked a security guard for help, but I ended up getting beat up by the security guards and people who seemed like their friends. The police has summoned me due to Mr. Jang’s accusation against me for defamation. Don’t make me come and go, you come to the court. I’m going to report you to the prosecution so let’s make clear who got defamed.
A petition was created on the Blue House (Cheong Wa Dae) website calling for the government investigate whether officers involved were bribed, and for the investigation of drugging int he nightclub scene, each earning 200,000 and 60,000 signatures respectively.
Sources: Soompi, Korea Herald
January 29th, 2019: Police and Burning Sun release statement about assault video.
Police Statement:
At the time of our arrival, Mr. Kim was overly emotional and refused to reveal his personal information. We were attempting to verify the report that he had assaulted the security guards and caused a disturbance, but Mr. Kim continued to cause a commotion, which is why he was arrested for business obstruction, among other reasons.
We have secured evidence such as CCTV footages of the surrounding areas and are currently in the process of looking into them. We have also called Mr. Jang in for an investigation. Several cases are being investigated simultaneously, including the statement from a representative of the club and their countercharge against Mr. Kim. Mr. Kim is currently refusing to come in for an investigation.
We will engage in the investigation carefully and meticulously to ensure that no one is falsely accused.
Burning Sun Statement:
We understand that much doubt and controversy has arisen in relation to the Gangnam assault incident reported on MBC News at 8 p.m. on January 28, 2019. The incident occurred in the process of a staff member responding to a civil complaint from a female guest who said that she had been the victim of sexual harassment. We express our sincere apology and remorse as the representatives of the club’s management team for arousing criticism over assault by a club staff member. We will fully cooperate in the investigation process as necessary to allow for the thorough investigation of the truth related to the various doubts brought up in that report, including submitting all of the CCTV footage that recorded the details related to that incident to the investigative agency.
Also, regarding the person from the club connected to that assault incident, we are holding him responsible and have taken disciplinary action and dismissal measures. We will do our best to prevent this from happening again in the future through actions such as education for our club staff and the creation of manuals on safety and security.
YG refuses to make a statement on assault:
We will not be giving an official statement on Seungri’s club Burning Sun’s assault scandal
Seungri’s resignation is revealed
It is revealed that Seungri does not actually own Burning Sun, and that he resigned from his position as Director a week prior.
Sources: Soompi 1, 2, NetizenBuzz
January 30th, 2019: Seungri’s awareness of assault and role at Burning Sun comes into question
A former employee fo Burning Sun releases statement that Seungri was aware of the assault
“Around when I quit, Seungri was in the Philippines for a performance and when he came back to Korea, he looked at us and said, ‘Isn’t this where the media is reporting?’ and ‘I heard that a guard was beating people here’.” I thought that was funny of him to say.”
Source: NetizenBuzz
January 31st, 2019: YG releases a statement.
…Whenever there are unexpected negative rumors contrasting with my personal wish from my last post to only share good news, I feel most apologetic first of all to the fans who must have worried.
I think that sudden negative rumors are like an unexpected rain shower falling from clear skies.
YG manages control of all aspects regarding our artists’ activities through our exclusive contracts with them, and we have continuously revised our contracts and management systems in order to prevent recurrences of accidents and mistakes.
In addition, we always check by emphasizing, advising, and educating what our artists have to be careful about through lots of conversations with them, and we are putting in our full effort to prevent potential disgraceful incidents beforehand.
However, like the old saying “bad news travels fast,” I think it is very difficult to tell them to be careful in preparation for groundless negative rumors that spread through word of mouth.
Also regarding the negative rumors on Seungri’s club, I wanted to find out the truth and give a quick response since the beginning. However, our artists’ operations of their personal businesses are completely unrelated to YG, so it was an awkward situation for YG to speak out and give an official statement, and there was also a lot of difficulty in finding out the truth.
The difficulty was that I have never gone to this club and do not know any of the people related to the club, so I did not have a way to ask someone about the details of this incident.
The only person I could ask was Seungri, and I found out that on the day of the incident, Seungri was at the scene until 3 a.m. on November 24, and the incident occurred past 6 a.m.
The reason why Seungri recently resigned as an executive director of the club was in order to comply with laws regarding military service as his military enlistment is approaching in March or April.
According to Article 30 of the Framework Act on Military Status and Service, “A soldier shall not engage in any for-profit activity, other than military service, and shall not concurrently engage in other activity without permission from the Minister of National Defense.” It is specifically written, “A soldier is prohibited from becoming a director, financial manager, general partner that takes part in the business, manager, promoter, or any other executive of a business.”
I confirmed that due to this reason, Seungri is in the process of resigning from not only the club but all of the CEO and executive director positions for which his name is recorded.
Seungri himself is also feeling very apologetic to fans who must have worried due to this incident, and although he was going to share his position through a post of apology, I told him to hold off for the moment.
This is because I decided that it would be better for him to share his position after the whole story of the incident is revealed more clearly through the investigation.
Currently, the focus seems to be turning away from the assault incident towards a drug investigation. To share with fans in case they are worrying even a bit, Seungri recently received a strong investigation by the prosecution with a search and seizure warrant due to groundless reports, and it was revealed clearly that there were no issues with all his examinations including urine and hair testing…
Source: Soompi
One Burning Sun Employee is Booked For Sexual Harassment
Source: NetizenBuzz
February 1st, 2019: More Employees Give Statements on Drugs and Rape That Took Place In Burning Sun
A woman who appeared to be drugged was completely nude while having sex with a man. About a month ago, a video of a man and a woman having sex in the VIP bathroom at the Burning Sun club was leaked. In the video, the woman’s eyes weren’t focused and she looked sluggish. You can’t see what they’re doing inside the rooms from the outside, so they can do drugs inside.
-Burning Sun Employee 1
I saw customers at the main tables using drugs about 2~3 times a month. Last October, a man gave a woman alcohol to drink. She later fell over while foaming at the mouth. She wasn’t drunk but her eyes were completely out of focus.
-Burning Sun Employee 2
Sources: Koreaboo
Kim Sang Kyo is accused of assault and a video of the incident is released
The women who was assaulted in the video confirmed he groped her and she tried to get away from him
Also a video surfaced on Facebook that seems to support this claims
February 2nd, 2019: Seungri Releases Statement Via Instagram
Hello. This is Seungri.
I first want to bow my head and sincerely apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable or was worried due to the recent incident and controversy related to me. Because of this incident, the last few days have been like an unbearable nightmare, and I was flustered as to where and how I should begin talking about this.
I am sorry for my delayed official statement and apology. I was dissuaded by people around me that a hasty explanation may cause bigger misunderstandings during a time when uncertain information was already snowballing.
I was not at the scene when the assault incident that started this controversy occurred. I first learned about the incident a few days later through a staff member and only initially heard that there was assault on both sides between a customer and an employee, and that it was under police investigation. Due to the nature of the place of business, disputes and fights occur often, so I hoped that this would also be resolved peacefully without a big problem.
Later on, I saw the clip of the incident for the first time through the media, and I was also very shocked. Violence cannot be justified under any circumstance, and I sincerely apologize to the victim who was injured due to this incident. I hope that your mental and physical injuries will heal as soon as possible.
I first became involved with the club when BIGBANG briefly halted promotions and I began solo promotions. Using the time outside of my solo promotions, I began with the innocent mindset of wanting to try working as a DJ, which is something I had wanted to do, at a place where I could freely play music at any time.
Just in time, I got a good opportunity to become an executive director in charge of promotions at a club. Since I’m a celebrity, I was in charge of publicly promoting the club.
Operating and managing the club were not my roles, and I am reflecting and deeply apologize for not showing myself taking responsibility from the beginning of the incident, as I was not involved in these roles from the start.
The issue that began with an assault case is now being covered with reports about drugs. I have not seen or heard anything related to this, so I’ll actively cooperate with investigations and hope that strict punishment will be carried out if a crime is revealed through the investigation. I’ll also take full responsibility if there is something I need to be responsible for as an executive director at the time.
While going through this incident, I learned and realized a lot once more about the responsibility and attitude of a celebrity. I apologize once again to everyone for causing concern through this incident, and will work hard to become more mature and considerate.
Respectfully,
Seungri, Lee Seung Hyun
Translation Source: Soompi
February 4th, 2019: Burning Sun CEO Releases Statement And Apology to Seungri
Hello. This is Burning Sun CEO Lee Moon Ho. Though I am late, I am releasing this statement as the CEO to respond to the doubts and disappointment that many people have.
I sincerely apologize for posting this statement so late as I was consistently checking the facts to be as accurate and detailed as possible, given how serious the issue is.
The reason I had privated my personal Instagram account is because I wanted to focus all of my attention on resolving the situation and finding a solution, rather than on social media. I had no plans to avoid or hide behind anyone regarding this situation.
Regardless of the reason, our former employee Director Jang’s actions of physically assaulting a customer was undeniably his fault, and it is a crime that must be met with a deserving punishment. After becoming aware of the severity of the situation, I immediately called for the firing of Director Jang, and he will have to deeply repent and receive the necessary punishment. I also believe I am responsible as I was the one who hired him.
I am deeply repenting that my inability to oversee my employees has caused so many to feel angered about Burning Sun. We will do our best to make sure this does not happen again, and we are fully complying with all relevant investigations. And I wish to speak on my relationship with Seungri, who has received the most damages from this situation.
Seungri and I have been long-time friends, and I asked if he’d be willing to be a consultant when I was preparing the club. I was the first to approach him about the idea as he was a veteran with 10 years of experience as a member of BIGBANG under his belt, and I believed that asking him to consult for the club would bring an additional advertising effect. Unlike the many other businesses that Seungri manages and runs himself, Seungri only helped as a consultant and assisted us in contacting foreign DJs for Burning Sun, he did not intervene in the actual management of the club.
He stepped down from his position as an executive director from the club because he felt it was right for him to sort out all of his connections to Burning Sun before enlisting, especially as he was not in charge of management for the club like he is for his other businesses and because there was an issue regarding stock transfers. My heart is heavy and pained that Seungri is receiving so much criticism and rebuke for something I suggested. I am very sorry.
This issue, which began with Director Jang’s physical assault, is currently being spread across various different topics including deals with the police, sexual assault, and drugs. Burning Sun has currently delivered all CCTV footage and documents related to the club to the investigative team, and we are actively complying with them.
Aside from the assault case, everything else is unconfirmed. Most of it is unsubstantiated rumors that have been spread.
Because of this unfortunate case, Seungri and the 400 Burning Sun employees, including myself, have received much criticism. In order to stop such events from happening again, I will actively aid in the investigation as the CEO of Burning Sun and if there are any faults that are uncovered after the truth has been revealed, I will make sure appropriately severe punishments are carried out.
I will comply with the investigative team to quickly uncover the truth behind situations that I was not aware of, and we are doing our best to ensure this does not happen again.
Once again, I sincerely apologize for causing concern with this case. Under no circumstances can physical assault be justified, and I will take responsibility till the very end to ensure the truth is revealed.
I bow my head and apologize to all customers of Burning Sun and to those who are disappointed in Burning Sun due to this incident.
Asia 24/7 
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