Police to Seek Arrest Warrant for Fallen Pop Idol Seung-ri

Police will seek an arrest warrant for Seung-ri of boy band Big Bang after discovering evidence that he paid prostitutes to have sex with clients when he threw a huge party in Palawan, the Philippines in December 2017.

That was even before he opened the controversial Burning Sun nightclub in the swanky Gangnam area, which is said to have been a hotbed of drug abuse and sexual impropriety.

Police obtained testimony that Seung-ri invited eight Gangnam bar hostesses to the party in a resort villa in Palawan, and some of them had sex with male guests at the party. But the women told police the sex was consensual and did not involve any money.

Seung-ri told police that he paid for the trips of all the invited guests, not just the women. But a police source said, "We discovered that Seung-ri sent money to the bank accounts of the bars that employed the women." 

The source added that the amount was too large to cover just airfare and lodging and "could be viewed as payment for sexual services." Police are also investigating where Seung-ri got the money to finance the lavish party.

Seung-ri (29) and his 34-year-old business partner, identified only by his surname Yoo, are already being investigated for pimping in Korea. They are accused of setting up potential investors with prostitutes in another Gangnam nightclub.

Police also suspect them of embezzlement, tax evasion, illegally videotaping women and violating a range of regulations in connection with their nightclub.