[FOCUS] Former JYJ member Park Yoo-chun belatedly admits to drug charges: police

By Park Sae-jin Posted : April 30, 2019, 15:41 Updated : April 30, 2019, 15:41

Park Yoo-chun [Aju News DB]

SEOUL -- Public anger erupted after Park Yoo-chun, a disgraced and expelled member of K-pop band JYJ, retracted his earlier denial and belatedly admitted to charges of using drugs with his jailed ex-girlfriend.

A drug investigation team in the southern city of Suwon said that the 32-year-old has finally admitted to drug charges. Park was arrested on April 26 after state forensic experts discovered traces of methamphetamine, commonly known as ice, from his leg hair.

The investigation began after Hwang-ha-na, a 31-year-old granddaughter of the late founder of a major dairy producer, was arrested on April 4 for taking methamphetamine. She has told investigators that she took drugs with Park at her home. The couple promised to get married in 2017 but they broke up the following year.

Six days after Hwang's arrest, Park arranged a press conference to make a strong denial and pledged to retire and face punishment if he had lied, drawing sympathy from fans.

On April 26, Park was officially arrested after investigators found CCTV footages showing the singer depositing money into a suspected drug dealer's account and retrieving drugs. His arrest triggered a public uproar and rocked South Korea's entertainment community, which has been reeling from a series of drug and sex video scandals.

Fans now feel disappointed because they were fooled by Park who confessed on Monday that he had used drugs. 

 

Former BIGBANG member Seungri [Yonhap Photo]

South Korea's K-pop community has enjoyed a new boom catapulted by the global popularity of BTS and BLACKPINK, it remains rattled by the unexpected resignation of multiple celebrities including Seungri, a disgraced BIGBANG member. 

The dark side of South Korea's entertainment industry was exposed by an assault that took place at Burning Sun, a music and dance club associated with Seungri in January when a broadcaster aired a video clip showing a violent attack on Kim Sang-gyo, a 28-year-old man who visited the club in southern Seoul on November 24 last year.

CVTV footages showed Kim being brutally beaten by a stout man with club employees holding his arms and body. Kim argued he was handcuffed and detained in a nearby police station without receiving treatment for several hours. The police came under fire for taking inappropriate action, and Kim's public petition posted on the presidential website gained widespread support, leading to a police investigation.

 

Singer Jung Joon-young [Yonhap Photo]

Seungri was accused of having provided sex to foreign investors for favor. Police have questioned 17 women for their alleged involvement in Seungri's sex scandal. Police are trying to find evidence related to money laundering and tax evasion.

Burning Sun employees were accused of having used drugs, and police found that one employee had used drugs with Park's ex-fiance.

 

Singer Roy Kim [Photograph by Yoo Dae-gil = dbeorlf123@ajunews.com]

Jung Joon-young, a 30-year-old singer, has been arrested for uploading and sharing illegally filmed sex videos on social media group chat rooms involving Seungri, Roy Kim and other celebrities.

Roy Kim, a student at Georgetown University who alternates between attending school in the United States and pursuing his music career in South Korea, has been summoned for questioning on suspicion of uploading explicit photographs onto a social media group chat room and sharing them with other people including Jung.

In a separate case, Robert Holley, a naturalized U.S.-born TV personality, has been arrested for taking drugs. 
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