Ex-iKON member B.I faces possible three-year jail term over drug scandal
Former iKON member B.I is reportedly facing a three-year jail sentence for his alleged purchase of marijuana and LSD in 2016.
On August 27, B.I – real name Kim Han-bin – attended a court hearing for his ongoing drug abuse case. According to Yonhap News Agency, prosecutors have requested the Seoul Central District Court sentence the 25-year-old to three years of jail, alongside a payment of ₩1.5million (Roughly £9300) in restitution.
“As an entertainer loved by the public, the accused amassed an enormous amount of profits through show business activities for the following three years after the crime,” a prosecutor said during the hearing.
“I made a completely foolish mistake in the past. I was young and naive, but even so, I was foolish for what I did,” Kim said in his defendant’s statement, per Allkpop. “I will never repeat a foolish mistake like this again. I will continue to reflect on myself. I want to protect those I cherish.”
The singer had departed from iKON in 2019 after the drug allegations against him surfaced. Earlier this June, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office indicted Kim on charges of allegedly purchasing marijuana and LSD from an acquaintance from April to May 2016. The final ruling for the case will take place on September 10.
Earlier this year, former YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk was indicted for allegedly attempting to cover up Kim’s drug scandal. According to a report by Yonhap News Agency, he was indicted by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on charges of purportedly having threatened an informant who had testified about B.I’s suspected drug purchase to the police in August 2016.
