The Burning Sun case, which emerged in 2018 and lasted for 11 months, came to a shocking conclusion with outrage from the public due to the unusually short sentences given. Recently, the scandal has been brought back into the spotlight by a BBC investigative report. The report, while focusing on Jung Joon Young, the most active participant in the chat room, also placed former BIGBANG member Seungri at the center of the story.
In May 2022, Seungri was found guilty of nine charges, including his involvement in procuring prostitution. Six years ago, when the scandal first emerged, the media mainly centered their coverage on Jung, and the specifics of Seungri’s participation in arranging prostitutes for affluent customers were not disclosed in depth.
After the BBC report was broadcasted, the true extent of Seungri’s methods of grooming victims was revealed. The report stated that Seungri used his celebrity status in the K-pop industry to gain access to Korea’s elite circles and pursue business opportunities.
Seungri utilized sex and women as manipulative tactics to gain favor with affluent and prominent individuals not only in Korea, but also on a global scale. His pursuit of success began at Burning Sun, the most popular club in Gangnam at the time. Disturbingly, he took advantage of his own fans to further his ambitions.
From the information provided by BBC, it was revealed that Seungri and his friends’ scandal had many hidden aspects. Further investigation into the details by BBC showed that both Choi Jong Hoon (F.T. Island) and Jung Joon Young were simply acting under Seungri’s direction.
Seungri was the leader among the group of friends involved in the two sex chat rooms, and he also colluded with high-ranking police. Choi was completely obedient to Seungri’s every command, as he was the most popular celebrity in the group and had strong connections with both the police and influential individuals. He relished being referred to as “Seungtsby,”a nickname that combined his name with that of Gatsby, a character known for his self-made wealth.
During December of 2017, Seungri orchestrated a luxurious birthday celebration on Palawan Island, Philippines, which reportedly amounted to $1,072,570. He reserved an entire resort and covered the travel expenses for VIP guests, as well as other extravagant costs.
In reality, the event was a cleverly disguised tactic by Seungri to attract investors for his plan to open Burning Sun. He leveraged all of his connections to extend invitations to a large number of affluent individuals from Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
According to Dispatch’s 2019 report and recent messages uncovered by BBC, it was revealed that Seungri had enlisted the help of his friends in a scheme to attract potential investors. He organized staff and arranged for attractive women from nightclubs to attend the gathering, and even introduced the use of drugs at the event.
According to a staff member from the most famous club in Gangnam, Seungri frequently visited with Lee Moon Ho (the president of Burning Sun) and bragged about renting an entire island in the Philippines for his birthday. The staff member also shared that Seungri had only invited attractive women and had also asked the staff member to bring along other pretty girls as well.
According to the staff member, Seungri made a promise to cover all expenses if she brought along some attractive girls. Ten girls from the renowned club attended, including a few who were ranked in the top 10% for their beauty. Two months later, Burning Sun was established, following the extremely successful birthday party.
After Lee Moon Ho became the president and Ms. Lin became the investor, Seungri was appointed as the executive director. However, as the scale of Burning Sun grew, the severity of Seungri’s crimes against female victims also increased.
Upon learning that Seungri was running a new nightclub in the prestigious Le Meridien hotel in the center of Seoul, there was a lot of curiosity among people. In order to meet the elevated expectations of its guests, Burning Sun organized a unique performance, unmatched by any other famous nightclub in Gangnam – one that was personally curated by Seungri himself.
Seungri would frequently make appearances at Burning Sun as a DJ. While this may have appeared to be a gesture of appreciation towards customers, it was actually a covert strategy to target victims for VIP clients.
It was reported by a previous staff member that Seungri’s special DJ performance was the main reason for the high attendance of female guests at the club. As a result, there was also an increase in male customers who were eager to reserve tables. The employee emphasized that this was a pivotal factor. Interestingly, the majority of female guests at Burning Sun during these events were fans of Seungri.
According to a male reporter who closely followed the case, customers were required to pay a minimum of $1,500 on weekdays and $7,500 on weekends to reserve a table at Burning Sun. However, on special occasions such as Valentine’s Day or Halloween, the table prices could skyrocket to $75,000, as reported by the same source.
The sight of many girls eagerly queuing up to attend the exclusive “fireworks and champagne”performances put on by VIP guests at Burning Sun was alarming. The exorbitant price for a table naturally led wealthy guests to anticipate receiving something extraordinary. In fact, Burning Sun had a covert system in place, hidden in the deepest area, specifically designed to cater to the desires of its VIP clients.
Further exploring the depths of this underground service, Burning Sun utilized a covert system via the Kakaotalk chat app. The managing directors were responsible for exploiting inebriated female guests and discreetly capturing their photos. These photos were then sent to male VIP clients through Kakaotalk, allowing them to select their desired “prey”.
According to lawyer Bang Jung Hyun, GHB was the most frequently administered rape drug at Burning Sun, used to facilitate the disturbing sexual services provided. This makes Burning Sun one of the most severe cases, as GHB poses a significant danger by causing victims to lose consciousness and have no recollection of the events that took place.
A former employee of Burning Sun disclosed that GHB was frequently used in the private guest rooms without the knowledge of others. It was rumored that in a secluded room within the nightclub, VIP clients would sexually assault female victims.
The room was heavily guarded by numerous security personnel whose sole responsibility was to prevent any noise from escaping, regardless of the activities taking place inside. A witness reported that on a daily basis, female guests were rendered unconscious due to being drugged with GHB at Burning Sun.
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Reference: K14
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