Former K-pop idol Seungri has been indicted on charges including prostitution and habitual gambling, about a year since allegations first came to light in a sexual abuse scandal that has rocked South Korea's entertainment industry.
The former Big Bang singer was indicted without detention for allegedly organizing prostitutes, habitual gambling, and illegal foreign currency trade, a PR official from the Seoul Central Prosecutors' office confirmed to CNN Thursday. CNN has reached out to Seungri's lawyer for comment.
The 29-year-old -- whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun -- was one of K-pop's biggest stars before he dramatically quit the entertainment industry in March last year after it emerged that he was under investigation.
"I just cannot bear causing any further damage to people around me, while being hated and criticized by the public and being treated as a nation's enemy during the investigation," he wrote in an Instagram post at the time.
Seungri's indictment is the latest development in the so-called "Burning Sun scandal" over a nightclub in Seoul's glitzy Gangnam neighborhood. Seungri sat on the board of the club, and oversaw its publicity.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police, Burning Sun was the site of bribery, violence against customers, securing prostitutes for VIPs, rape, drug trafficking and drug use. Numerous women have come forward with claims of being assaulted or drugged at the club.
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