Stars who have committed crimes and served their sentences are returning to the entertainment industry after a brief hiatus
Among them are former Big Bang member Seungri and former F.T. Island member Choi Jong-hoon. Particularly noteworthy is the imminent release of Jung Joon-young, the central figure in the “Jung Joon-young chatroom” scandal, who is expected to follow a similar path to return to the industry.
Jung Joon-young, who is currently serving his sentence, was arrested in March 2019 on charges of sex abuse and illegal filming.
In November 2019, Jung Joon-young was sentenced to six years in prison in the first trial. He appealed the verdict and received a reduced sentence of five years in the second trial, but he still contested it. The Supreme Court upheld the five-year sentence in September 2020, concluding Jung Joon-young’s lengthy trial. Jung Joon-young is scheduled to be released from prison on March 20th.
Prior to Jung Joon-young’s return, others associated with him have completed their sentences and been released. This includes Seungri and Choi Jong-hoon. Another commonality among them is that they all show signs of resuming their activities.
Choi Jong-hoon recently heralded his return after five years with activities in Japan. After joining Japan’s largest fan community, he expressed his gratitude, “I greet you all after five years. I have gained strength from each of your messages and am able to show myself in a healthy state. Thank you very much.”
Choi Jong-hoon was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison for his involvement in the group sexual assault and illegal filming of intoxicated women and was released in November 2021. Despite seeming to distance himself from the entertainment industry, he made a comeback by joining a Japanese fan community and attempting to communicate with fans.
Seungri was implicated as a key figure in the Burning Sun scandal in 2019. He was convicted of nine charges, including arranging prostitution, habitual gambling, violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, violation of the Food Sanitation Act, embezzlement and more, and was sentenced to one year and six months in prison. He was transferred to a civilian prison after his actual sentence was confirmed and was released in February last year after completing his sentence.
After his release, Seungri faced controversies such as overseas club sightings and two-timer rumors. There are no signs of his return to the entertainment industry, but he has recently made brazen moves, including mentioning G-Dragon at an event held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Before Choi Jong-hoon and Seungri, there was Go Young-wook, whose attempt to return to the entertainment industry after serving his sentence ended in failure. Convicted of sexual assault and harassment of minors, Go Young-wook served a sentence of two years and six months before being released in 2015. He tried to make a comeback by opening an SNS account in 2020, but faced cold public opinion, leading to the closure of his SNS account and his comeback plans falling through.
From Go Young-wook, Seungri to Choi Jong-hoon and beyond, these individuals may believe they have paid for their sins and are attempting to return, but they are facing public backlash. Observers are watching to see what choices Jung Joon-young will make as his release approaches in 20 days. All eyes and ears are on Jung Joon-young’s words and actions as he nears his release.
