SOUTH KOREA: Police in South Korea have detained G-Dragon, a.k.a. Kwon Ji-Yong, the former frontman of BigBang, on suspicion of using illegal drugs. This occurred in the midst of a number of high-profile drug cases handled by President Yoon Suk-yeol’s conservative administration.
Rapper and singer-songwriter G-Dragon refuted claims that he used drugs while being questioned, saying that the four hours of questioning produced a negative drug test.
“There is no truth to (the accusation of) illegal drug-related crime,” he said.
Shares of a few K-pop companies, including YG Entertainment, Kwon’s previous agency, dropped after the claims became public in late October, although they have since recovered.
The police station in Incheon that questioned G-Dragon is the same one where Parasite actor Lee Sun-kyun was also interrogated over the weekend. Lee said that he had provided the best answers possible to all of their inquiries, but he would not comment on drug use.
In response to the recent drug-related arrests of celebrities and heirs to the chaebol, South Korea has stepped up its campaign on drugs and customs inspections.
Drug rehab advocates claim that social media and international travel have made the nation’s strict drug laws—which carry a maximum 14-year prison sentence for repeat offenders—even more severe. BigBang members have been charged with crimes before, including G-Dragon.
For using marijuana in 2017, T.O.P. also referred to as Choi Seung-hyun, was given a suspended 10-month jail sentence. After being found guilty of conspiring to evade taxes, bribe, and engage in prostitution in 2021, Seungri, also going by Lee Seung-hyun, was given an 18-month prison sentence.
With G-Dragon and four other members pursuing separate careers, BigBang, a K-pop group, has dominated the industry since 2006.
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