Senior police officer suspended for investigation into corruption in sex scandal

By Park Sae-jin Posted : March 18, 2019, 18:08 Updated : March 18, 2019, 18:08

[Yonhap Photo]

SEOUL -- A senior police officer was suspended from his duty and investigated over accusations that police have watched the back of Seungri, a disgraced BIGBANG member at the center of a sex, corruption and drug scandal that has rocked South Korea's entertainment community.

A superintendent identified by his surname, Yoon, and two other officers were interrogated. Initially, they were accused of disclosing confidential information, but Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Won Kyung-hwan vowed to dig into their role in the scandal. "I will take stern action against those involved in collusion regardless of their status," Won told reporters on Monday.

Yoon is suspected to spying on a police investigation into illegal business activities by Monkey Museum, an entertainment club co-founded by Seungri and his business partner, Yoo In-seok. Yoon had worked at the presidential office for a year from July 2017.

Yoon was cited in a messenger group chat that involved Seungri and others. Seungri and his business partner, who founded Yuri Holdings for investment in restaurant and entertainment businesses, were accused of arranging sexual services for business favors.

A lawyer has raised suspicions about collusion between police and Seungri. The lawyer represents the whistleblower who has sent the log of chat rooms involving Seungri and other people to the Korean Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, a state watchdog. Investigators found that the log contained expressions that police were backing Seungri and his business.

The scandal surfaced in January when a 28-year-old man claimed that he was brutally beaten by the employees of Burning Sun, a music and dance club associated with Seungri. The man also claimed that he was mistreated by police without receiving proper medical treatment for several hours.

The scandal has also exposed drug trafficking by Burning Sun employees. On Monday, police have applied for a court-issued warrant to arrest singer-songwriter Jung Joon-young on charges of sharing illegally filmed sex video files with other people including Seungri and three other artists.

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