Seungri Says, "I Only Held the Bottle... He Suggested We Become Like Brothers, Then Filed a Complaint, Leaving Me Confused"—Directly Addresses Special-Assault Allegation

[Financial News] Seungri, formerly of BigBang, has spoken out directly about a complaint filed against him on suspicion of special assault.
In an interview with Ilgan Sports on the 10th, Seungri described what happened at the time of the incident and outlined his plans for responding going forward.
According to Seungri, he was dining with two acquaintances when Mr. A, who was seated at another table, asked to join them and proposed a business idea.
He said, "Even though I refused several times, (Mr. A) did not leave and kept saying that he had a business idea and asking me to hear him out," adding that an argument continued over whether Mr. A could join the table.
Seungri acknowledged, "It is true that I picked up a liquor bottle while expressing that I did not want him to join us," but insisted, "I only held it; I did not swing it or threaten him."
He continued, "In the end, I let him join us, listened to what he had to say, drank with him, and exchanged phone numbers after suggesting that we become like brothers. Mr. A even saw me off as I left for home. A few hours later, he texted me saying, 'I’ll bring the business plan next week.' So I’m confused that he later filed a complaint claiming he had been harmed, after apparently changing his mind."
Seungri said, "He contacted me asking to meet, but when I told him to 'send me the business plan,' he stopped contacting me. Then I received a reply the next day saying he would file a complaint." He added that he had secured the text messages exchanged with Mr. A, along with closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from inside the restaurant. He emphasized, "I will cooperate fully with the investigation and reveal the truth."
According to police on the 10th, a complaint was filed against Seungri at Seoul Gangnam Police Station on August 25 on suspicion of special assault. The complainant, reportedly a man in his 30s, claims that he was assaulted while dining with Seungri at a restaurant in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Police reportedly have not yet even questioned the complainant. They plan to investigate the circumstances of the case at a later date.
Seungri made his debut in the Korean music industry as a member of BigBang in 2006. After allegations surrounding the Burning Sun scandal emerged in late 2018, when he was serving as an inside director of the club, he left the group in March 2019.
In January 2020, he was indicted on eight charges, including prostitution, arranging prostitution, violations of the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, occupational embezzlement, violations of the Food Sanitation Act, habitual gambling, and violations of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act. While he was standing trial in a military court, allegations that he had instigated special assault were added.
Seungri appealed, but in May 2022, the Supreme Court of Korea found him guilty on all nine charges and sentenced him to 18 months in prison. After being transferred to wartime labor service status, he was released from Yeoju Prison in February 2023.
More recently, he has been spotted several times at overseas events and at bars and clubs in South Korea and abroad.
[email protected] Ahn Ga-eul Reporter