BBC spills the tea on K-pop idols in new documentary
The new BBC documentary Burning Sun: Exposing The Secret K-Pop Chat Groups brings to light the scandal that first hit the Korean entertainment industry in 2019.
Seungri of Big Bang was among the K-pop idols involved in the salacious scandal – which included prostitution, rape, bribery and drug dealing – uncovered by two Korean journalists.
The documentary, which was released on May 19, took its name from Seungri’s Burning Sun Club – the locale of the alleged crimes.
The club at upscale Le Meridien hotel in Seoul was destroyed by a massive fire in August 2023.
South Korea is also being plagued by "molka” – non-consensual sex videos that are recorded with spycams and sold to websites.
Two other K-pop artists tagged in the scandal were Jung Joon-young and FT Island’s Choi Jong-hoon, who were also part of a secret chat room where videos were shared.
Journalists Kang Kyung-yoon and Park Hyo-sil, who reported on the scandal, have been harassed by fans of the involved K-pop idols.
Their reports were corroborated by the late singer-actress Goo Hara, who told Kang: "Reporter, it’s Hara. I really want to help."
Goo was close to Choi and told the reporter that she had seen "some really weird things" on the men's handphones.
The member of girl group Kara was herself a victim of molka. Her boyfriend Choi Jong-bum was jailed in 2021 for threatening to end Goo's career with her sex tape.
Kang claimed that Seungri was the head, using his connections in the police force and investors to become a “major player in the lucrative business of Gangnam nightclubs”.
Seungri had thrown a grand birthday bash in December 2017 in the Philippines to lure investors for Burning Sun Club. He allegedly brought in women to perform sexual favours for the rich and powerful on his guest list.
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