Former BIGBANG member Seungri, whose original name is Lee Seung-hyun, has been sentenced to three years in prison by a military court on Thursday, 12 August. He was found guilty on all nine counts by the court, which ordered for the immediate detention of the 31-year-old celebrity.
He was given the above sentence for facilitating prostitution for his foreign investors and gambling overseas through illegal foreign exchanges. He has been ordered to pay a fine of 1.15 billion Korean won (US$1 million) in restitution apart from serving three years in prison.
Here, we are giving you the timeline of the case.
Jan 28, 2019: A customer was assaulted by Burning Sun nightclub for trying to help a woman who was sexually harassed at the club. The security guard beat him up for trying to bring the issue to their notice. Later, a police complaint was filed and they discover that it was a hotspot for drug distribution and sexual harassment.
Jan 29: Seungri had resigned from the position of the director a week before the controversy broke out. He was present at the club when the incident occurred.
Feb 02: Seungri, on Instagram, stated that he was shocked to see the viral video where the man was being beaten up by the staff. At the same time, Dispatch exposed a group chat conversation where Burning Staff members discussed trapping drunk women to engage in sexual activities with VIP clients.
Feb 15: Cops raid Burning Sun and collect necessary data to find whether it ran illegal business. Two days later, the club is shut down.
Feb 26: A report surfaced on SBS funE claimed that the leaked KakaoTalk group chat revealed that Seungri had tried to bribe investors with prostitutes. Singer C, FTISLAND's Choi Jonghoon, Yuri Holdings CEO Yoo In Suk and an anonymous Burning Sun employee were part of the conversation. YG Entertainment's share price drops following the controversy.
Feb 27: Seungri appears before the cops for the investigation which lasted for 8.30 hours.
Mar 01: A whistleblower alleges deep links between Seungri and the cops. Burning company CEO Sung Hyun confesses that they tried to bribe the police with 20 million won.
Mar 07: MBC comes up with a report claiming that Seungri was involved in the business from day one and reveals the documents that clearly stated that he had invested 225 million won. At the same time, YG Entertainment announced that the singer would enlist in the military on 25 March.
Mar 08: Police gathers enough information to file charges against Seungri for supplying women.
Mar 11: SBS's 8 O'Clock News reports about singer Jung Joon-young sharing hidden camera footage in chatrooms with celebrities and at least 10 women were victims of non-consensual filming. Seungri announces retirement from showbiz and the cops bar him from leaving the country.
Mar 12: Jung Joon Young booked on charges of non-consensual filming. He loses several projects and his portions are edited out from the episodes of the programs for which he had already completed the shooting.
Mar 13: Jung Joon Young admits to all his crimes and MAKEUS terminates his contract. On the other hand, YG Entertainment ends its contract with Seungri.
Mar 16: Ex-FTISLAND member Choi Jonghoon was booked on charges of spreading illegal photos.
Mar 18: South Korean President Moon Jae-in Orders for a thorough enquiry into three cases that include Burning Sun.
Mar 20: Seungri's military enlistment was delayed. YG Entertainment comes under scanner from National Tax Service on the suspicion of evading tax.
Mar 21: Jung Joon Young arrested and Choi Jonghoon booked for bribing an office following which FNC Entertainment terminates his contract.
Mar 23: Seungri booked for spreading illegal photos with group chat and he admits to spreading it but not filming it.
Apr 02: Singer Roy Kim is booked for sharing obscene photos.
Apr 06: Hong Du-yeong's granddaughter Hwang Ha-na was arrested for her alleged links with dealing and using drugs apart from having a connection with an employee of Burning Sun.
Apr 11: Choi, Roy Kim and Eddy Kim admit to spreading illegally taken photos. A woman alleges Choi of drugging and raping her.
Apr-9-12: Leading Satellite Channels in Korea issue guidelines over the content featuring Seungri, Jung and Choi.
Apr 18: The Intellectual Crime Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated that it did not discover any links between Choi and cops in connection with the 2016 drunk driving case.
Apr 19: Burning Sun's CEO Lee was arrested over suspicion of using drugs and dealing with it.
April 26: For purchasing and using illegal drugs, Park was arrested. Three days later, he admits to using drugs.
Apr 29: Cops reveals that Seungri was questioned 15 times over allegations of embezzlement, arranging prostitution for partners, sharing illegal footage and pics, and tax evasion since the Burning Sun Sex Scandal broke out.
Jan 30, 2020: Seungri was indicted on charges including organizing prostitutes, habitual gambling and illegal foreign currency trade.
Jan 2021: New Charges Against Seungri, Yoo In Suk; Kim Sang Kyo Brings Up Hyoyeon's Name
Mar 9, 2021: Seungri enlists for military.
Aug 12 2021: Seungri convicted for arranging prostitution and other charges and jailed for three years by a military court.
