Choi Jong-hoon, a former member of FT Island who served a 2 year and 6 month prison sentence for special rape and was released in 2021, is showing signs of resuming his activities. He opened a channel on a Japanese fan community and left a message asking for support.
According to the Japanese fan community platform Pannicorn on the 15th, Choi Jong-hoon recently opened his own channel on this platform and left a greeting. He said, "I am greeting you after about 5 years. Are you all doing well?" and added, "I have gained strength from each and every one of your messages, which has allowed me to show a healthy appearance like this." He continued, "I hope to communicate a lot with you all. I want to show you everything about Jong-hoon, including what I want to do in the future and my private life." He also added, "I will work hard to create a bright future with you all, so please continue to support me as a supporter."
Pannicorn is a platform in Japan where fans of celebrities and influencers can communicate with their favorite stars, and it can be used by paying a subscription fee of about 5,000 Korean won.
Choi Jong-hoon was involved in the 'Burning Sun Gate' scandal with former Big Bang member Seungri. He debuted in the music industry in 2007 as a member of FT Island, but after some contents of the so-called ‘Jung Joon-young group chat’ were revealed, he was indicted in May 2019 on charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Violent Crimes, etc. (special rape).
Choi Jong-hoon, former member of the band FT Island, who was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison on charges of special rape [Photo by Asia Economy DB]
In 2016, he was tried for sexually assaulting and illegally filming women together with singer Jung Joon-young, former Burning Sun MD Kim, and others in a KakaoTalk group chat in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, and Daegu. Later, the charges were confirmed, and he was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison, being fully released in November 2021 after serving his term.
Earlier, in January 2022, it became a topic of interest that Choi was attending church and practicing his faith with his mother. At that time, when asked by a media outlet about his plans to return to the entertainment industry and his future plans, he replied, "I am sorry. I have nothing to say."
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