Seungri Enlists as Active Duty in Army... Trial at Military Court

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Seungri (real name Lee Seung-hyun, 30), a former member of the group Big Bang who is accused of overseas gambling and prostitution mediation, enlisted in the army as an active-duty soldier on the 9th. Accordingly, the allegations against Seungri involving overseas gambling and prostitution mediation worth around 1 billion won will be judged for guilt or innocence in a military court.

Seungri entered the Army 6th Division Recruit Training Center in Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon Province, at around 1:30 p.m. on the day. He was originally scheduled to enlist in March last year but postponed his enlistment due to investigations related to the Burning Sun incident. Upon arrival at the recruit training center, Seungri got off the vehicle and underwent a fever check inside a tent set up at the guard post to prevent the spread of COVID-19, then proceeded directly to the enlistment location. He did not respond to reporters' questions about his feelings.

Earlier, the Criminal Division 3 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Park Seung-dae) indicted Seungri without detention on six charges, including violation of the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Arranging Sexual Traffic, habitual gambling, and violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act. The prosecution applied for an arrest warrant for Seungri twice, in May last year and January this year, but both were dismissed by the court. This case was assigned to the Sexual Crime Specialized Trial Division, Criminal Division 26 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Jung Moon-sung).

However, with Seungri's enlistment on this day, the trial will be transferred to a military court. Seungri will complete basic training for five weeks starting today and then face trial in a military court. Some have viewed Seungri's enlistment as an attempt to use the military as a refuge. However, from the perspective of the right to defense, a trial in a military court may be less favorable than a civilian court because it is more difficult to receive assistance from defense counsel. Moreover, if sentenced to imprisonment as a soldier, the sentenced period must be served before completing the original service period.

In this regard, a Military Manpower Administration official stated, "We will actively cooperate with the prosecution to ensure consistent and fair judgments, and trials will be conducted considering the progress of related cases and the results of civilian court rulings."