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| From left, Jung Joon-young, Seungri, Choi Jong-hoon |
By Park Si-soo
Have Seungri and Jung Joon-young behaved badly under the protection of the police chief?
Police started investigating such allegations on Wednesday after an attorney revealed a "ranking police officer" and the scandalized singers maintained cozy ties.
Bang Jung-hyun, the attorney, dropped the bombshell based on records of a group chat involving the two, which he submitted to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission for investigation.
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Police confirmed Jung wrote "the national police commissioner is behind me" in a group chat in July 2016. The message was sent along with a photo Jung took inside a hostess bar, according to police. The group chat included several celebrity friends of Jung, including Seungri and employees of Burning Sun, a defunct nightclub affiliated with Seungri.
The police chief in June 2016 was Kang Shin-myung.
Jung and Seungri are under police investigation for their alleged wrongdoings ― allegations of sex-for-business favors against Seungri and allegations that Jung filmed and distributed videos of himself having sexual relations with women.
In a hurriedly arranged press briefing, incumbent police chief Min Gap-ryong pledged a "thorough" investigation into the allegations.
"I will mobilize all police resources to get to the bottom of the case and uncover the truth," Min told reporters.
The top police officer said an internal audit has already begun.
Meanwhile, he said the group chat included messages hinting that K-pop band F.T. Island's Choi Jong-hoon was caught drunk driving in March 2016 but it was covered up thanks to the alleged cozy ties.
According to cable network YTN, Choi was caught with a 0.05 percent blood alcohol level, which at the time was the bare minimum legal limit. Seoul's Yongsan police station reportedly handled the case quietly, so he was able to continue working normally without public criticism.
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