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Seungri (Seung Hyun Lee)

Also known as: Seungri, V.I, Victory, 이승현, Seung Ri, Lee Seung Hyeon

Seungri

Date of birth: 12 December 1990 (35 years old)

Country: South Korean

Lee Seung Hyun, known professionally as Seungri, is a South Korean singer, dancer, musical actor, producer, composer, and former member of BIGBANG (빅뱅). He dropped out of high school and later passed the High School Graduation Certification Examination. He later obtained a bachelor's degree in Broadcasting Entertainment from International Cyber ​​University. He was part of a dance team in Gwangju and first appeared on TV as a contestant on the reality television series "Let's Coke Play! Battle Shinhwa", a reality television series to find the next generation of SHINHWA. Although he was noticed for his dance skills, his lack of vocal skills led to him being eliminated. He was later scouted by YG Entertainment (YG엔터테인먼트) and joined as a trainee. He made his debut in August 2006 as BIGBANG's lead dancer, vocalist and maknae with their first single album, also titled "BigBang". Their debut received lukewarm reactions from the public and critics, but later, singles began getting more attention, and soon, they topped all the music charts and managed to increase their popularity across Asia. They were called the "Kings of K-Pop" as they helped spread the South Korean wave internationally and are considered one of the most influential acts in pop music thanks to their trendsetting musical experimentation, self-production, and stage presence. Following the group's huge success, they decided to go on hiatus to focus on their individual activities. He made his debut as a musical actor in 2008 with a role in Sonagi. Then, he became a host and also started his acting career with a role in the 2009 movie "Why Did You Come to My House?". He made his debut as a solo artist in January 2011 with the EP, "V.V.I.P". In 2012, he entered the Japanese market, appearing in variety shows and hosting a radio program. However, in early 2013, his career took a setback when he became embroiled in a sex scandal with a Japanese woman. As a result, he stepped out of BIGBANG's promotional activities for self-reflection. After his return, he toured South Korea extensively and also began taking more acting roles. However, he became part of a huge scandal when, in November 2018, MBC Newsdesk reported an alleged assault of a male clubgoer at the Burning Sun (a prominent nightclub in Gangnam) that had him as a shareholder and occasional DJ. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency investigation soon turned to one concerning the club's alleged involvement in prostitution, drug trafficking and police corruption. The chatroom conversations were exposed and immediately affected multiple celebrities, leading to their criminal prosecution and resignation from the entertainment industry. He was one of those celebrities, quitting the industry on March 11, 2019, after denying the allegations against him but receiving so much negative feedback. He ended his contract with YG and left BIGBANG two days later. He faced two arrest warrants in May 2019 and January 2020, but both were denied by the Seoul District Court. Then, he enlisted for his mandatory military service on March 9, 2020, and his case was transferred to Military Court. The trial began in September 2020 and had 8 charges, including prostitution, embezzlement, distributing obscene material, habitual gambling, and eliciting violence, among others. He denied all charges except one, violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act. However, on August 12, 2021, he was found guilty and sentenced to 3 years in prison, along with being fined 1.15 billion KRW (approximately $990,000 USD). His personal information will be registered in the national registry for the violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc., of Sexual Crimes. After an appeal, his sentence was reduced to 18 months in 2022. On June 8, 2022, he was discharged from military prison and transferred to Yeoju Prison as a civilian to complete his sentence. On February 9, 2023, he was released from prison. But, instead of keeping a low profile, he has ignited further controversies by appearing at several events abroad.

Career timeline

2018

2014