Ex-member and leader of K-pop boy group iKON B.I attended the court hearings on 27 August 2021 on drug abuse charges, where prosecutors sought a three-year prison sentence for the same.
According to reports, earlier during the 25-year-old artist whose legal name is Kim Han-bin first court hearing, prosecutors requested the Seoul Central District Court sentence him to three years in prison and order a payment of 1.5 million won (US$1,282) as compensation.
B.I legal charges against him
- He has been indicted for purchasing illegal drugs, including marijuana and LSD pills, through an acquaintance in April and May of 2016.
- He is also charged of using the same in violation of the country’s Narcotics Control Act.
According to the prosecutor present in the hearing, it was mentioned that
“As an entertainer loved by the public, the accused amassed an enormous amount of profits through show business activities for the following three years after the crime“.
While B.I in his closing statement to the court appealed for leniency, asking it to give him “one more chance” to live as a person who can be forgiven and deliver on his pledge.
The drug scandal also led to the resignation of Yang Hyun Suk as CEO of YG Entertainment, home to iKON, as well as other prominent K-pop bands like BLACKPINK.
While B.I also left iKON over the scandal and had his contract with YG terminated.
However, B.I had made a solo comeback with a full album “Waterfall” through his own label 131LABEL and is currently scheduled to hold his first online concert in October.
The final court ruling on the drug abuse case is slated for Sept. 10.
NEWS SOURCE – YONHAP NEWS AGENCY
