Cost of being famous? Scandals rock Jannabi members

By Dong Sun-hwa

Indie band Jannabi, which burst out of years of obscurity with a hit album in March, has been struck by violence/corruption scandals involving key members.

Keyboard player Yoo Young-hyun made a surprise announcement of his departure on Friday, admitting violence to a classmate 11 years ago.

Leader and lead vocalist Choi Jung-hoon is embroiled in a fraud/embezzlement scandal that stemmed from a legal dispute involving his father that started three years ago. Choi is one of the major stakeholders in his father's company, which is at the center of the row. The singer denies the allegations.

“My brother and I are listed as stakeholders,” Choi wrote on his Instagram on Saturday. “It just borrowed my name as a family member.” He did not mention if he was involved in the company's management.

Earlier, Yoo announced he would leave the team, admitting he had committed violence when he was in junior high school. This came after a netizen revealed Yoo's wrongdoing on an internet community.

“Eleven years ago, I was bullied by a member of Jannabi for being inarticulate,” the netizen wrote. “I transferred to another school due to bullying and underwent psychotherapy.”

Some event hosts have canceled Jannabi's appearances amid the escalating scandals.

Jannabi debuted in 2014 and is one of a few popular indie bands in Korea. After five years of obscurity, it has achieved fame with its most recent album “Legend,” released in March.