A file picture shows Seungri, who has been at the center of a scandal. [Yonhap News Photo]
SEOUL -- Seungri, a disgraced BIGBANG member, received a notice of military service, days after prosecutors indicted him for gambling overseas and arranging sex favors for foreign investors. He should go to a boot camp in a month unless a related state agency grants permission to defer enlistment.
Under South Korea's conscription law that requires all able-bodied men to complete compulsory military service for about two years, a notice of enlistment was sent to Seungri because an investigation by prosecutors ended, according to the Military Manpower Administration.
Seungri, 29, was indicted on January 30 on charges of gambling abroad, breaching a foreign exchange transaction act, and arranging sex services for business favors in a bid to attract money from foreign investors. He should stand trial without being detained.
If the trial goes on for a long time in a private court, it could hamper the imposition of military service, the state agency in charge of conscription said, adding that Seungri's case would be handled by a military court. "We will actively cooperate with the prosecution to ensure a consistent and fair ruling," the agency said.
Seungri would get enlisted within 30 days unless he sends an official request to delay enlistment as he did last year. He may have to accept the agency's order due to public anger, over a sex and drug scandal that rattled South Korea's music industry last year.
Seungri, who was known as one of South Korea's most successful singer-turned-businessmen, has been the target of public criticism since a 28-year-old dance club customer claimed in January last year that he was brutally beaten by Burning Sun employees. An investigation exposed drug trafficking and a sex video scandal that forced the departure of celebrities.
In November last year, Jung Joon-young, a singer and TV personality, was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of filming sex videos and sharing them with other singer friends through social media chat rooms. He was also charged with raping drunken women with Choi Jong-hoon who left FT ISLAND, a popular rock band, and received a five-year jail sentence.