Former K-pop star Seungri seeks legal action against Burning Sun Surabaya organiser

Former K-pop star Seungri is reportedly taking legal action against an Indonesian club for controversy surrounding a now-cancelled Burning Sun Surabaya club event. 

Indonesian event planning company TSV Management said on Instagram stories that it would be organising an exclusive event called Burning Sun Surabaya on 31 August, according to The Straits Times. The ad for Burning Sun featured an image of the former BigBang member and the words "Best honour". 

The event was scheduled to take place at an Indonesian club named Gentlemens, according to the poster. The news reportedly sparked outrage among netizens, as the event alludes to the Burning Sun scandal at a Seoul nightclub of the same name.

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In an interview with South Korean media outlet Ilgan Sports on 11 August, the former K-pop star refuted claims that he would be attending the event, adding that it was "obviously ridiculous" and that he doesn't know where the Indonesian region is. 

He reportedly added that he is not going to the event on 31 August and has no plans to do so. The singer reportedly warned that he would take legal action over infringement image rights and defamation over the publication of false information. 

Following which, TSV Management and Gentlemens released a video on Instagram on 11 August.

In the video, a TSV Management representative identified as Megg and a Gentlemens representative identified as Angus clarified that there was no mention of Seungri attending on the poster. 

At the same time, they said that they mentioned Seungri and the Burning Sun scandal to remind clubgoers, especially women, about safety. They added that they would be cancelling the Burning Sun Surabaya event due to the misleading nature of the incident. 

In response, Seungri said in another exclusive interview with Ilgan Sports that he will continue to take legal action as the Instagram video is not an apology for using his photo and name, but an apology for causing trouble for the local nightlife scene. 

He reportedly added that he is currently preparing to file a lawsuit and plans to take formal steps within the next week. 

The Burning Sun scandal in Korea first broke in 2019 and reportedly involved sex, drugs and police protection. At the end of the lengthy court case, Seungri was reportedly sentenced to three years' jail in 2021.

The former K-pop star was reportedly sentenced on nine charges including arranging sex trafficking for foreign investments in 2015 and misappropriating funds from the Burning Sun nightclub. 

However, Seungri's sentence was reduced to 18 months following an appeal and he completed his sentence in February last year, reported The Straits Time. 

Photo courtesy Ilgan Sports and Seungri, Instagram

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