Following T.O.P's trial on June 29 at the Seoul Central District Court, his lawyer in a statement has indirectly confirmed that the rapper was in a relationship with trainee Han So-hee, with whom he had smoked marijuana.
As noted by website Soompi, during the closing arguments of T.O.P's trial, his lawyer said, "At the time of the incident, T.O.P was in an unstable place psychologically and met the trainee for drinks. He was very intoxicated at the time and decided impulsively [to smoke marijuana]. He admits to all the charges and is very remorseful for his actions."
The lawyer even said that T.O.P smoked marijuana by being influenced by Han So-hee, saying, "T.O.P acted the way he did following the trainee's suggestions after drinking. After breaking up with the trainee, T.O.P stopped smoking marijuana."
This is certainly an interesting update; one which diverts the blame mostly towards the trainee rather than T.O.P. Whether what the lawyer said is true or not is a question of further investigations. A police source had earlier said, "It seems that [Han So-hee] started using marijuana due to the stress of a continuously postponed debut."
She was supposed to debut in 2016 as a member of a girl group but nothing came off it. She had reportedly signed a contract with an agency in June of 2015 but her contract was cancelled within one month of her signing. Some unspecified personal issues were cited from her side.
On the question of T.O.P's relationship with the trainee, his agency YG Entertainment released a short statement saying, "Beyond what information has been released from the court, it is difficult to confirm anything."
Han So-hee has received four years of probation with a three-year prison sentence if she commits a repeat offence during that period. She was to receive a second trial. Koreaboo reports that her sentence is now the exact same as T.O.P, with added drug counselling for the use of LSD.
"Han Seo Hee was arrested for smuggling and buying cannabis along with LSD. She even smoked marijuana even after she was arrested. However, she acknowledges all her mistakes and crimes so that's why we decided to sentence her to probation," the prosecutor's office said.
As for T.O.P, the Seoul Central District Court has sentenced him to a two-year probation period and a 10-month prison term if he violates his probation restrictions within that period.
