Seungri remains silent on Burning Sun controversy

By Kang Aa-young

Big Bang's Seungri

Neither Seungri nor his agency YG Entertainment has responded after an alleged assault at the club Burning Sun stirred up debate two days ago.

The issue was first reported by MBC Newsdesk Monday evening, citing a 29-year-old man named Kim Sang-kyo who claimed that he was physically assaulted by Burning Sun's staff and even more seriously by police last November as he attempted to help a woman who was being sexually harassed at the club in southern Seoul.

The club was known as “Seungri's club,” as the Big Bang member owned the venue. However, another report came Tuesday that Seungri resigned as the head of the club last week, just before the news broke out.

Sports Kyunghyang reported Wednesday that Seungri was not the actual owner of the club and just participated in management, citing a Burning Sun official.

Both his agency and the singer refused to comment on the matter, stating, "We will not be releasing any official statement whatsoever."

It contradicts Seungri's previous remarks and attitudes on active engagements in his business such as luxury bar Monkey Museum and Japanese ramen chain Aori Ramen.

According to Kim, he visited the nightclub as a customer on Nov. 25, 2018, on the occasion of his friend's birthday and saw a woman who appeared to be drugged being sexually harassed.

“The woman hid behind me. She seemed to have been sexually harassed. She held my shoulders and when I tried to ask for help from the club's bodyguards, the club executive and guards started beating me up,” Kim recalled on Instagram.

Kim also claimed that he was beaten by police officers who apprehended him. According to Kim, the police officers dispatched to the club handcuffed him, instead of the club staff member who assaulted him, though Kim tried to tell them he was the one who called the police. Kim said the police did not check surveillance camera footage or enter the club when they arrived.

Released surveillance footage from a patrol car and the police station show Kim being beaten by police and bleeding at the police station. However, police have denied any charges, saying Kim's bleeding nose was caused by a fall.

In his Instagram post, Kim posted pictures of his injured face as evidence. “I have been ordered to come in for questioning, because Burning Sun's director filed a lawsuit for defamation against me,” he wrote.

In the meantime, police booked him on seven charges, including criminal battery, indecency, obstruction of police duties and defamation.

In response to Kim's claim about date rape drugs at the club, Burning Sun has denied all allegations. The club released a statement Tuesday saying they fired the staff member related to the incident and it vows to improve its safety and security-related measures. The official statement was announced on behalf of CEOs Lee Sung-hyun and Lee Moon-ho, reticent on Seungri's directorship of the club.

A petition posted by Kim on the Cheong Wa Dae website claims police involved were bribed by the club, suggesting a corrupt relationship between the police and the club. It has gathered over 200,000 signatures, surpassing the minimum amount needed to get an official response.