Three months after B.I left South Korean boy band iKON over drug-taking allegations, the 22-year-old now has a chance to clear his name.
The country’s media said the police will question him in coming days over talk that he bought drugs in 2016.
The authorities will also examine whether Yang Hyun-suk, then head of YG Entertainment, which manages iKON, tried to get a drug dealer, who provided information about B.I’s alleged drug purchases, to change her testimony.
B.I got into trouble earlier this year after media outlet Dispatch dug up Kakao Talk messages from three years ago that were said to track a conversation between the artist and the dealer.
Netizens were outraged when the police hauled up the dealer, but not B.I, with some wondering if some cops had been bribed to cover up the case.
In June, B.I left iKON, posting in Instagram that “at a time when I was deeply struggling and miserable, I wanted to rely on something that I should never have shown interest in. However, even then, I was scared and terrified of it, and was unable to partake in it.
“Nonetheless, I feel so embarrassed and apologetic towards my fans and group members, who were undoubtedly hurt by me.”
YG subsequently terminated its ties with B.I.
The company was slammed by some netizens for not standing by its artists when they encountered problems.
The upcoming police questioning marks the latest development in a K-pop scandal, which broke early this year.
It has seen artists, from former BigBang singer Seungri to singer Jung Joon-young, been charged by the authorities for offences, from illegal sharing of sex videos to procuring prostitutes for would-be investors.
Yang, who has stepped down from YG, has been questioned by the authorities over his alleged gambling in Las Vegas, using proceeds from shows held by its artists in the United States.
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