YG founder accused of 'lax control' of Seungri

YG Entertainment founder Yang Hyun-suk Captured from SBS TV

By Park Si-soo

A civic group has accused YG Entertainment's founder, Yang Hyun-suk, of "poor management" of beleaguered K-pop singer Seungri.

After filing a complaint with Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Measures for the People's Livelihood said Thursday that Yang had "neglected his duty" of supervising the label's artists.

"YG is jointly responsible for Seungri's scandal," the group wrote in a statement, referring to a snowballing sex-for-favour's scandal, in which the former BIGBANG member allegedly procured prostitutes for foreign investors in his nightclub.

"Whenever an entertainer makes trouble, his/her agency has shielded itself from public criticism by using the trick of terminating a contract between the two parties."

YG arbitrarily terminated the contract with Seungri's contract last week as the scandal spiralled out of control.

The group urged the founder to step forward and take responsibility for the scandal caused by his "lax management" of Seungri.

"The higher the popularity of celebrities and the greater their influence in society, the proportion of profits and responsibilities is proportional," it said. "We need a strict standard for entertainers and their agencies that have forgotten about this fact."

Meanwhile, the group has accused Seungri and Jung Joon-young, another scandal-hit K-pop star, of their respective suspicions. Jung has admitted to filming secretly himself having sex with more than 10 women and sharing the footage with his celebrity friends via KakaoTalk messenger.

Make Us Entertainment CEO Lee Dong Hyung was also accused of "neglect of supervision" for Jung. The agency also terminated its contract with Jung last week.

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