Former YG chief questioned for 14 hours over alleged intimidation

Former YG Entertainment chief Yang Hyun-suk arrives at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday, to undergo questioning related to intimidation charges against him. / Yonhap

By Kim Jae-heun

Yang Hyun-suk, founder and former chief of YG Entertainment, was summoned by police Saturday, for questioning over his suspected intimidation.

The entertainment guru appeared at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, at 10 a.m. and underwent nearly 14 hours of interrogation.

Leaving the police building at 11:50 p.m., Yang told reporters that he had complied with the police's questioning and told the truth. When asked by a journalist if he acknowledges his charges, Yang said, “I cannot share any specific details as the police investigation is ongoing.”

The police booked Yang recently on intimidation charges related to a suspicion that he attempted to cover up the alleged illegal drug purchase and use by one of the agency's former stars, singer B.I.

B.I., a former member of K-pop boy band IKON, is suspected of purchasing marijuana from his acquaintance and smoking it three years ago.

The acquaintance, who also took the illegal drug, was caught by police in August 2016, and she then submitted text messages to the police as evidence proving B.I. had asked her to get marijuana for him, hoping for a lenient punishment.

However, only eight days after, the acquaintance changed her testimony to say she was not quite sober during the previous questioning and B.I. only asked for marijuana but she didn't sell it to him.

Earlier this year the woman claimed she had changed her testimony because Yang intimidated and appeased her to do so. Yang also allegedly hired a lawyer to defend her.

She reported these allegations to the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission in June this year.

From the allegations, Yang faces charges of intimidation and breach of trust as he paid the woman's legal fees with company funds although she did not belong to YG, as well as obstructing justice because he impeded the police's investigation into B.I. at the time.

Police summoned B.I. on Sept. 17 and questioned him over his alleged purchase and use of the illegal drug. He admitted to some of the charges but denied others, according to the police.

YG Entertainment revoked its contract with the singer and he was kicked out of the band immediately.

Yang has faced other charges, including habitual gambling. He was accused of spending several hundreds of millions of won on gambling abroad, along with Seungri, a former BIGBANG member under the agency. He was also suspected of violating the Foreign Exchange Law for the gambling, but the police found no evidence in support of the allegation.