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| Jung Il-hoon, a former member of K-pop boy band BTOB / Korea Times file |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Jung Il-hoon, a former member of K-pop boy group BTOB, was given a suspended sentence for using marijuana, Thursday.
The Seoul High Court sentenced Jung, 27, to two years in jail, suspended for three years, overturning a lower court decision that put him behind bars for two years. Following the ruling, he was released. The court also ordered him to forfeit 126 million won ($106,000) and complete 40 hours of drug treatment sessions.
"The lower court ruling should be overruled as it has a problem," the court said. "Jung smoked marijuana for a long time, but he did not try to make a profit off it by selling or distributing it. And it seems he stopped using the drug voluntarily… He also has no prior criminal record and he has been enthusiastically taking online courses to prevent reoffending. While in jail for six months after the first ruling, he promised he would not use the drug again."
Last year, Jung was accused of buying 133 million won worth of cannabis on 161 occasions between 2016 and 2019, together with seven other people. They are known to have bought the drug with cryptocurrency. In June, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced him to two years in jail and ordered him to forfeit 133 million won, but Jung lodged an appeal and submitted more than 80 letters of apology.
Jung debuted as a member of BTOB in 2012 with the single "Insane" and as part of the group, he dropped a string of hits including "Missing You" (2017) and "Only One for Me" (2018). But he quit the act last year after being mired in the drug scandal.
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