The Burning Sun scandal began on November 24, 2018. Kim Sang Kyo tried to help a woman at Seungri’s club in Gangnam. For his efforts, Kim was attacked. This led to investigations into Seungri and his club. Investigators uncovered many crimes like gambling and drug dealing.
The most shocking discovery was a group chat. Several celebrities shared inappropriate videos in this chat. Members included Seungri, Jung Joon Young, Yong Junhyun, and Choi Jonghoon. Here’s what these idols are doing now.
1.Jung Joon Young
Jung Joon Young created the main chatroom where illegal videos were shared. The scandal broke when he took his phone for repair. A technician found the chat and reported it.
Courts initially gave Jung a six-year prison sentence. He faced charges of assault and sharing illegal videos. Later, his sentence dropped to five years. This happened after he showed documents expressing regret.
See also: SHINee Taemin’s concert ticket prices spark debate for KSPO Dome shows
Jung walked free on March 19, 2024. He quickly made headlines again. First, he tried to restart his music career. Then, people spotted him at a French club with several women. Jung has hinted he might open a Korean restaurant in France.
2.Choi Jonghoon
Courts first sentenced the former FTISLAND member to five years in prison. Choi faced serious charges in two separate cases. His sentence later dropped to two years and six months. This reduction came after he settled with the victims.
Choi completed his sentence and left prison in November 2021. In January 2022, news outlet The Fact filmed him at church. He attended with his mother. The situation became tense when reporters approached him. Choi refused to answer questions about returning to entertainment.
On January 15, 2024, Choi told his Japanese fan community about comeback plans. He wants to return to entertainment. So far, he hasn’t made any official announcements or comebacks.
3.Seungri
The former BIGBANG member actively participated in Jung’s chatrooms. In these chats, members shared illegal videos. They also “rated” women they had been with. Investigators looked into his chat involvement. Reports say he only shared one photo found online.
Seungri received a three-year sentence for nine separate charges. These included prostitution, embezzlement, gambling, and breaking various laws. To fans’ surprise, he left prison on February 9, 2023. He served just 18 months.
Since then, Seungri has continued his nightlife activities. He’s reportedly tried to open another nightclub. He held a fan meeting in Cambodia. During this meeting, he mentioned his former bandmate G-Dragon. Some people have also accused him of inappropriate behavior.
4.Yong Junhyung
The ex-HIGHLIGHT member admitted to viewing illegal content from Jung Joon Young. Junhyung also confessed to “inappropriate” conversations. However, he denied sharing any illegal videos himself.
Junhyung left HIGHLIGHT in 2019. After that, he stayed away from the public eye. He finally returned in November 2022 with a new album called “Loner.”
Recently, Yong made news for a different reason. He married popular K-pop star HyunA.
5.Lee Jonghyun
The former CNBLUE member talked about women with Jung Joon Young. He even asked for introductions to women. At first, Lee denied any involvement. Later, he admitted to watching the illegal videos.
See also:THE BOYZ KBS Feud Leads To Removal From 2025 Seoul Festa Line-Up
Lee left CNBLUE because of the scandal. He also completed his mandatory military service. Since then, Lee has stayed out of the spotlight. He deleted all his social media accounts. His former bandmates once indirectly mentioned him while talking about CNBLUE’s history.
6.Roy Kim
Authorities accused Roy of sharing illegal videos. Later, they found he wasn’t involved in the problematic group chats. This cleared his name.
See also:Kim Sae Ron Father Lawsuit Against YouTuber Lee Jin Ho After Tragedy
After proving his innocence, Roy returned to music in 2020. Later, he enlisted in the Marines for his required military service.
Today, Roy continues his successful singing career. The scandal didn’t permanently damage his reputation.
7.Eddy Kim
Police charged Eddy with “circulating obscene material” related to Jung’s chat. Later, prosecutors suspended his indictment. They discovered he only shared one internet photo in a different chat group.
After the scandal, Eddy stayed quiet for almost two years. He gradually returned to public life. It took him nearly five years to release new music. In January 2024, he joined Yoon Jong Shin’s track series called YOON.