On December 25, Park Yoo-chun published a photo of himself enjoying dinner with his younger brother Park Yoo-hwan and other acquaintances at a restaurant in Japan. In the photo, the former male idol spotted a red face as if drunk, and appeared to have gained weight compared to when he was in Korea in the past.
Earlier during the year, Park Yoo-chun hosted an expensive fan meeting in Tokyo, Japan, on February 9th, and reviews of fans became a hot topic online. In the photos and videos released, Park Yoo-chun seemed to have gained weight and aged compared to his pretty boy image in the past. He offered fan service by making heart poses at the request of Japanese fans and making fans laugh with his naughty expressions and movements.
The event drew public criticism, especially the singer held a fan meeting and dinner show event whose tickets costed between 200,000 won (approx 136 USD) and 500,000 won (approx. 341 USD). This was affter Park was exposed to have failed to pay more than 400 million won (approx. 272,000 USD) in taxes. In addition, Park Yoo-chun held press conferences in the past due to drug controversy. Back then, Park even pledged to retire from the entertainment industry, claiming his innocence, but the drug charges turned out to be true.
However, he failed to keep his promise and even wanted to return to domestic activities. Of course, he failed to overcome negative public reactions and his domestic activities were canceled, but he is being criticized for continuing his activities and earning money from overseas fans.
Internet users also said Park’s moves were similar to Big Bang’s former member Seungri. Seungri has drawn public attention with rumors, both big and small, since he was released from prison.
In particular, on December 24, a video titled “Shocking current status of former Big Bang’s Seungri” was published on an online community, showing Seungri meeting with investors at an overseas exhibition hall. Seungri, dressed in a suit and wearing glasses, was engrossed in the meeting and caught people’s attention for his chubbier appearance than before.
In the past, he was seen at an event in Cambodia and bragging in front of fans, causing anger. At the event, Seungri was criticized for his absurd remarks, such as saying, “I will bring G-Dragon to Cambodia.”
Meanwhile, Seungri was identified as the main culprit of the Burning Sun Gate in 2019, and as a result withdrew from Big Bang and claimed retirement from the entertainment industry.
He was handed over to trial on nine charges, including sex crimes including brokering prostitution, as well as habitual gambling, foreign exchange transaction law violations, food hygiene law violations, embezzlement at work, aggravated punishment for certain economic crimes. After a long trial, he was sentenced to a year and a half in prison by the Supreme Court, and even after his release, he has been caught up in all sorts of gossip, including club sightings, overseas birthday parties, and cheating.