Seungri’s military court trial begins. On September 16, Seungri categorically denied all charges except one. The defense proclaimed, “We deny all charges except his violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act.” Seungri began his trial at the Ground Operations Command’s General Military Court in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do. He entered the court for his 1st hearing with his lawyer, Son Byung-ho, five minutes before the proceedings started. 

Retired BigBang member Seungri (Lee Seunghyun), is currently serving as a private soldier in South Korea’s 5th Artillery Brigade, under the 5th Army Corps. Sporting short, neat hair, he was dressed in military combat uniform with a Special Warrior badge above his troop insignia when he went to court. The Special Warrior designation is granted by the Military to soldiers whose performances excel in seven key areas of physical strength, mental power, shooting, first aid, boundary, chemical room, and individual battle. This designation indicates that Seungri possesses the highest level of combat power and mental acuity acknowledged by the ROK Army.  His badge of honor symbolizes the best of the best and qualifies him for early promotion.

According to reports, throughout his hearing, Seungri sat upright and was attentive to the court proceedings. His body language revealed engagement, confidence, and respect for the court.

Seungri answered to eight indictments: Prostitution (for self); Prostitution Mediation (for others between Dec 2015-Jan 2016); Embezzlement (hiring legal representative fee);  Embezzlement (528 million won involving Burning Sun revenues); Violation of Food Sanitation Act (involving Monkey Museum wrongfully registering business); Habitual Gambling (Las Vegas gambling); Distributing Obscene Material/Shooting using camera (single photo of pornographic nature); and Violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act(illegal monetary exchange). Lawyer Son began by addressing the prostitution charges and stated, “The defendant (Seungri) has no motive to mediate prostitution. He did not play any role in Yoo In Suk’s prostitution mediation.”

Furthermore, to the charge of procuring prostitution for himself, the defense asserted, “Seungri does not remember if he had intercourse with the woman in question, and he thought the woman was someone Yoo In Suk had sent because she simply wanted to meet him.” According to South Korean law, intent and exchange of profit are critical factors determining if a person is criminally liable for prostitution. Similarly, intent and breach of trust are necessary embezzlement components to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. His lawyer explained that Seungri had no motive or intent to commit embezzlement.

For the charges of Violation of Food Sanitation Act, Seungri divulged, “To my knowledge, all problematic parts have been eliminated after receiving the corrective order. Because of my celebrity life, I was mainly abroad, so I could not check it myself.” However, he had received a report from an employee that he took corrective measures to satisfy the remedial order to fix the said violation. Lawyer Son specified, “In order, for habitual gambling to be recognized, the court must consider not only the amount of money gambled, but all aspects including the total number of times gambled, duration, motive, and previous (gambling) conviction.” His lawyer stressed there was no sign of the habit. Seungri’s purpose of visit to the United States was not for gambling but work. He completed all scheduled activities during his stay. 

On the allegations of distributing obscene (pornographic) material/shooting with camera, the defense clarified, “It wasn’t the picture that Seungri himself took, but a picture was sent from an entertainment bar (to him) which he shared in a chat room with friends.” Seungri claimed that he only shared a photo sent for the purpose of promoting entertainment bars.

The only indictment Seungri admitted was the charges of violating the Foreign Exchange Transaction Act. He stated, “I deeply reflect on it.” Since the burden of proof is with the Prosecution, during Seungri’s trial, the Prosecution team must prove beyond a reasonable doubt each indictment; otherwise, they fail to meet the burden. In the South Korean court system, trials take place over several hearings. 

In the next step, evidence will be presented and examined. It is a standard procedure that the Prosecution begins first with their examination of evidence that they feel relevant. Once completed, then the Defense will have their turn at the examination of the evidence. For Seungri’s trial, the next hearing date is set for the morning of October 14th at the Ground Operations Command’s General Military Court in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do.

Dear user  

This day today's DC Briefing