YG’s Yang Hyun-suk gets final suspended sentence over rapper drug probe interference
YG Entertainment's chief producer Yang Hyun-suk / Yonhap
Yang Hyun-suk, founder and chief producer of YG Entertainment, has received a suspended prison sentence from the Supreme Court for intimidating a whistleblower in an attempt to cover up rapper BI’s drug allegations.
The Supreme Court, presided over by justice Ma Yong-ju, upheld on Friday a lower court ruling that sentenced Yang to six months in prison with one year of probation for coercing a meeting under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
Yang was accused of pressuring and intimidating Han Seo-hee, a former trainee who in 2016 told police that BI, the stage name of Kim Han-bin, had attempted to purchase illegal drugs. Yang allegedly sought to silence Han and dissuade her from cooperating with authorities to prevent further investigation into BI.
Prosecutors initially indicted Yang for retaliatory intimidation under the same law. While he was acquitted of that charge in the first trial, the appeals court added the lesser charge of coercing a meeting as a secondary indictment, ultimately leading to a guilty verdict, now confirmed by the Supreme Court.
Following the ruling, Yang issued a public statement expressing regret but accepting the outcome. “Although I feel disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision, I humbly accept it,” he said.
He emphasized that he was acquitted of the original charge of retaliatory intimidation in both the first and second trials, but added, “During the appeal, the prosecution altered the charge to ‘coercion to meet,’ a charge I had never faced before. After five years and eight months of legal proceedings, this is the final ruling.”
Yang concluded by saying, “I will approach my work with greater caution and responsibility moving forward.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.