BigBang’s Seungri files $1.7 million fraud charges against female colleague

January 4, 2016
Seungri (Newsis)

Seungri (Newsis)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — Seungri of the boy band BigBang has filed a complaint with the prosecutors over an alleged fraud committed by his colleague that caused him losses of 2 billion won (US$1.7 million), his agency said Tuesday.

“Seungri is extremely shocked by this incident,” a YG Entertainment official said, adding the complaint has been filed by Seungri himself. “YG will deal with this situation together to make sure he suffers no more losses.”

In the complaint, Seungri reportedly said a female singer whom he considered to be his colleague asked him to invest in her real estate development business in June 2014.

Having been promised high returns, he put down 2 billion won first. Two months later, the singer, identified only by her surname, Shin, asked for more investments, with Seungri providing an additional 50 million won.

The business never took off, and Seungri filed the complaint on Dec. 29, according to sources in the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office.

Shin debuted in 2003 and has two albums under her name. At the time of her request, she was running a talent management agency, which has since shut down.

Meanwhile, BigBang is scheduled to kick off its Japan Dome Tour with concerts at Osaka’s Kyocera Dome from Saturday to Monday. The tour will stretch on to Fukuoka and Tokyo next month.