Jung Joon-young, Seungri, Choi Jong-hoon, shameless actions without reflection

The members of the 'Jung Jun-young group chat room' at the center of the Burning Sun incident, Seungri from the group Big Bang, Choi Jong-hoon from the band FT Island, and singer Jung Jun-young are once again drawing public outrage. This is because the current status of those who repeat their past actions does not show any reflection on the fact of their crimes.

A French netizen recently posted an eyewitness account of Jung Joon-young on the online platform

The French netizen said that he saw Jung Joon-young at a club in Lyon, France, and posted a recent photo of Jung Joon-young along with an eyewitness account. In the photo, Jung Joon-young is smiling with long hair and a beard.

A netizen who said he encountered Jung Joon-young said that he happened to run into him at a club and that he introduced himself as ‘Jun.’ “Another man soon approached me and said that the man I had just talked to was a very famous singer in Korea. The man who said ‘Jun’ was soon kissing another woman,” he explained the situation.

The netizen added, "Before he left, 'Jun' asked me for my Instagram ID. His account seemed to be followed by only 4 people. He sent me a private message and said, 'I'm thinking of opening a new Korean restaurant in Lyon.'" .

There are voices in the industry lamenting that if Jung Joon-young uses his experience in the process of opening and promoting a Korean restaurant in France, it will be a great disgrace to the international image of K-pop artists.

Seungri, a member of 'Jung Joon-young's group chat room' and the leader of the Burning Sun incident, also received public criticism after being seen at several parties after being released from prison.

After being released from prison in February last year, he held a birthday party in Bangkok, Thailand at the end of the year and enjoyed it. Last January, he participated in an event held in Cambodia and caused public outrage by mentioning a member of Big Bang, saying, "I will bring G-Dragon (Big Bang's GD) here someday." In addition, Seungri attended and performed at a local rich man's birthday party held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last May.

Last May, the Hong Kong media continued to report rumors of Victory settling down in Hong Kong. It was reported that Seungri had purchased a luxury home in Hong Kong and was planning to open a club there. In response, a Hong Kong government spokesperson directly refuted the report, saying, "We have never received a visa application from a former Korean pop singer (Seungri)."

Accordingly, concerns are being raised that Seungri may be going to various parties to build a foundation for the prostitution brokerage business he was planning to run in Korea overseas. In addition, as he continues to perform with the group Big Bang's music and mention the names of members such as G-Dragon, Big Bang fans are outraged, saying that Seungri is a nuisance to Big Bang's reputation.

As Jung Joon-young and Seungri's current status became a hot topic, Choi Jong-hoon's current status also surfaced.

Choi Jong-hoon started counting down to his return from Japan last January. His fan community was launched under the name 'HUNIYA' on fanicon, Japan's largest fan community platform. His return begins approximately two years and two months after his release from prison, which expires in November 2021.

Choi Jong-hoon said on the platform, "Greetings to you all for the first time in about 5 years. I received strength from each and every one of you and was able to show you my healthy self. Thank you so much." At the same time, he tried to win the favor of fans by posting, "I will work hard to create a bright future with you all, so please continue to support me as a supporter. I wish you all the best."

Choi Jong-hoon previously acknowledged his mistakes and withdrew from FT Island and announced his retirement from the entertainment industry. He stated at the time, "I will leave the team and end my career in the entertainment industry. I will live my whole life thoroughly reflecting on my past, when I frequently made careless words and actions without a sense of guilt."

The fact that he, who had declared his retirement from the entertainment industry while conveying his feelings of 'thorough reflection', was attempting to return to Japan raised doubts about the sincerity of his reflection, and the domestic public's antipathy toward him grew.

Meanwhile, Jung Joon-young, Choi Jong-hoon, and Seungri were put on trial on charges of intoxicating women and gang-raping them in January and March 2016.

In May 2022, Seungri was found guilty on nine charges, including habitual gambling, prostitution, and violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes, and was sentenced to one year and six months in prison. Jung Joon-young is accused of distributing sex videos and photos illegally filmed in group chat rooms since the end of 2015, and Choi Jong-hoon is accused of forcibly molesting a woman in Hongcheon in January 2016. Jung Joon-young was sentenced to 5 years in prison, and Choi Jong-hoon was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison. was finally sentenced.

Reporter Lee Min-kyung, Ten Asia 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr