Dispatch has reported that YG Entertainment told Han Seo Hee to go to the United States in November 2016.

According to the report, Han Seo Hee and BIGBANG’s T.O.P started talking to one another on October 8, 2016. Their report alleges that T.O.P got her phone number after seeing her at a cafe, and they smoked marijuana together later on. Eventually, this information was relayed to Yang Hyun Suk.

A source from Han Seo Hee’s agency at the time said, “Person ‘A’ who looks after YG’s business came. They said, ‘As there is a problem with T.O.P [and marijuana], it would be good if you leave before the comeback.’ The company took care of the [flight] ticketing, and they made [her] stay until the end of the album promotions.”

The following is a part of the suspect’s second interrogation report on the marijuana case:

Police: Why did you go to the United States on December 9, 2016?

Han Seo Hee: Our company’s CEO asked me, “YG wants you to go to a foreign country, what do you think?” When I delayed my departure for personal reasons, YG pressured our company, saying, “What are you doing not sending Seo Hee quickly?” which is why I departed the country on December 9.

When asked why she was in the United States for three months, she responded, “Originally, I was supposed to depart on December 9, 2016, stay there for about a month, and return early January of this year [2017], but February 2, 2017 was T.O.P’s enlistment date for the military. Because of that, the CEO told me to just rest for another month or two since I was already abroad.”

Dispatch reports that Han Seo Hee was intentionally sent to Los Angeles just days before BIGBANG’s “MADE” album release on December 13. YG reportedly knew about T.O.P’s marijuana usage prior to BIGBANG’s comeback.

Dispatch claims a similar pattern occurred during B.I’s case. Han Seo Hee reportedly changed her testimony after being pressured at her meeting with Yang Hyun Suk.

Currently, there are suspicions that the police conducted a poor investigation and that the prosecution tried to cover up the issue. Meanwhile, police have revealed that they will be forming a task force to investigate YG Entertainment with regards to suspected drug use and ties to police.

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On June 20, CBS No Cut News reported that Seungri had been investigated for suspicions of drug use in 2016 around the time the investigation on Han Seo Hee’s drug use and her KakaoTalk chat with B.I was going on.

According to legal sources, in late 2016, the Suwon District Prosecutor’s Office conducted a basic drug test on Seungri at his home after getting a tip-off that Seungri had used ecstasy at Club Arena in Gangnam District. He also underwent separate urine and follicle tests, but he tested negative and was not indicted.

The timing of this investigation is close to the time the Suwon District Prosecutor’s Office was forwarded Han Seo Hee’s case by the Yongin Dongbu Police Station and began investigating her.

Police and prosecution are recently being suspected of having carried out insufficient investigation on Han Seo Hee’s drug case in 2016. It was through this investigation that police found her KakaoTalk chat with B.I discussing drug purchase, but neither police nor prosecution investigated B.I further. Police explain that they forwarded the case to prosecution at their request, while prosecution deny that they made this request.

No Cut News states that the close timing of the two investigations—Seungri’s case of suspected drug use and Han Seo Hee’s case—raises questions about why prosecution did not move forward with investigating B.I even though they had received an investigative report about him from police.

The news outlet reached out to prosecutors to ask about the context, connection, and results of the investigations on Seungri and Han Seo Hee, but they responded, “Due to the law on Publication of Facts of Suspected Crime, we cannot reveal this.” The prosecutor who had been in charge of the case stated, “Suwon District Prosecutor’s Office will be releasing a statement,” and said nothing more.

In response to all of the recent suspicions, Yang Hyun Suk stated, “All of the suspicions that have been raised until now are based on the informants’ one-sided opinions and not true in any way.”

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Top Left Photo Credit: Xportsnews

Aori Ramen is now under new ownership.

On June 19, Aori Ramen’s company Aori FNB announced that 100 percent of its shares have been acquired by private investors with plans for a fresh start next month.

Seungri’s 5 percent of shares have been canceled, and Yuri Holdings’s shares of 39 percent will be sold and the full proceeds donated to the Green Umbrella’s Children’s Foundation. Due to feelings of moral responsibility, six stores operated by Seungri’s relatives will be closed or transferred to a third party who has no connections to Seungri.

With this, Aori FNB has officially cut all of its ties with Seungri, Yuri Holdings, and its previous shareholders.

Kim Hoon Tae has been chosen as the new head of Aori FNB. He has 22 years of experience working in overseas development projects and brand marketing for Hyundai Card, Hyundai Capital, and the Marriott Hotel.

CEO Kim Hoon Tae said, “As one of many lovers of Japanese ramen, I watched the unfortunate situations that Aori Ramen faced. Now, I’ll use all of my efforts so that the customers who liked Aori Ramen can trust and enjoy it once again.” He continued, “The newly beginning Aori FNB and its franchises will create a business model that can continuously contribute to and create value for the community. We will soon release a plan where we and our customers can share our warm hearts with society.”

Aori Ramen has been directly affected by the controversies surrounding Seungri. In March, it experienced a sharp decrease in customers and sales as the chain was widely known as “Seungri’s ramen restaurant” even after Aori FNB cut ties with Seungri and Yuri Holdings. Out of about 44 restaurants that were operating in December 2018, over a third of them were forced to close or temporarily suspended operations due to financial difficulties.

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