Seungri Profile: Current Status of BIGBANG’s Troublemaker (2024 Updated)

Who is Seungri?

Seungri is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, music producer, and entrepreneur. He is best known as a member of the famous K-pop group Big Bang. He is also the youngest member of this music group.

Seungri, a South Korean, and a member of Big Bang, did not live in Seoul. Born in the impoverished rural area of Gwangju, Seungri had to be self-reliant from a very young age.

Since childhood, he has had a passion for dance and would often gather friends to practice. With extraordinary determination and his passion for singing, he decided to leave his family behind to pursue a career in Seoul.

Seungri’s biography

• Full name: Lee Seung-hyun
• Stage name: Seungri
• Date of birth: 12/12/1990
• Hometown: Gwangju, South Korea
• Current residence: South Korea
• Occupation: Singer, songwriter, actor, music producer, and entrepreneur
• Music group: Former member of BIGBANG
• Instagram: seungriseyo

Career

In 2005, at just 15 years old, he was selected as an idol trainee by the legendary boy band Shinhwa. After two months, Seungri was fortunate to be supported by the director of a talent academy in Gwangju.

A few months later, he was scouted by YG Entertainment. Here, he and other trainees had to undergo an extensive training process. The ballad song “Haru Haru” by Tashannie showcased his emotionally rich singing voice. After enduring various difficulties and challenges, Seungri and four other members (G-Dragon, Taeyang, T.O.P, and Daesung) were selected to debut as BIGBANG on August 19, 2006.

Immediately after debut, the group released Vol.1 – Since 2007 with 11 songs. Among them was Seungri’s first solo song, “Next Day.” Quickly, the name BIGBANG dominated the K-pop scene at that time.

In 2008, Seungri began to venture into musicals, MCing, and acting. His achievements were undeniable. Seungri became a world-famous name with a huge fan base.

However, after being involved in a scandal, Seungri voluntarily left the group to avoid affecting the other members.

Scandals

Seungri (Bigbang) was involved in “Burning Sun” scandal, which caused him to face a 5-year prison sentence with 8 charges, including:

• Procuring prostitution
• Illegal gambling
• Violating exchange laws
• Foreign exchange
• Trafficking in and using drugs
• Assault
• Tax evasion

Prosecutors have requested a military court in Yongin to sentence Seungri to 5 years in prison and a fine of 20 million won (about 17,600 USD). Previously, the case had been transferred to the military court after Seungri enlisted for military service.

A prosecutor stated that Seungri not only committed crimes but also evaded responsibility, shifting blame onto others. During the trial, Seungri tearfully apologized to his family and the members of Big Bang. However, he denied 8 out of 9 accusations, only admitting to foreign exchange transactions. He confessed to a total of 1 million USD in gambling in Las Vegas (USA) from December 2013 to August 2017.

Seungri was also indicted for procuring prostitution for foreign investors in South Korea, approximately 20 times between 2015 and 2016. The former singer was accused of sharing nude photos of women in a chat room on his mobile phone. However, he asserted that he was not involved in these crimes.

On March 11, 2019, the K-pop industry was shocked by the news of Seungri announcing his departure from BIGBANG and officially retiring. On his personal Instagram, Seungri stated that it was the right time for him to leave the South Korean entertainment industry. Initially, his retirement was said to be a unilateral decision. However, there were speculations that Seungri was actually expelled from YG Entertainment.

Many fans wondered whether Big Bang would continue to exist after Seungri’s departure. On March 11, 2020, they provided an answer by renewing their contract with YG Entertainment. However, there has been no announcement regarding a comeback so far. Let’s wait and see what the group will bring us in terms of music in the future.

The Military Court of the Ground Combat Command officially announced Seungri’s sentence after numerous hearings. The judge fully acknowledged all 9 accusations against the former Big Bang member and sentenced him to 3 years in prison. Additionally, he was fined over 1.15 billion Won.

Dating Life

Yoo Hye Won

On March 22nd, Dispatch unexpectedly released a series of photos capturing Seungri and rumored girlfriend Yoo Hye Won traveling in Thailand on March 5th. Although their faces were not clearly visible, it could be seen that Seungri appeared healthy and relaxed after being released from prison. Meanwhile, Yoo Hye Won posted photos of her check-in in Thailand on her personal page. Some witnesses even saw the couple holding hands affectionately in the lobby of a luxurious hotel. When contacted by Dispatch, Yoo Hye Won explained that she went to Thailand to attend a wedding of an acquaintance.

Seungri was accused of dating two girls at the same time

Dispatch has publicly exposed Seungri for dating two girls at the same time during a trip to Bali, Indonesia in 2023. According to the messages and images published by Dispatch, Seungri meticulously arranged his schedule to be with both girls, A and B, during this vacation. What’s surprising is that the former Big Bang member took both girlfriends to the same hotel, restaurants, cafes, beaches, etc., at different times to avoid detection.

According to the same news source, Seungri and A officially started their romantic relationship on September 1st. He also shared this information with his friends: “Today is the first day I officially started dating her.” At this point, the former idol invited his girlfriend to travel to Bali.

However, on September 7th, Seungri unexpectedly reunited with B after 4 years of no contact. Since then, he secretly met with B while still dating A. Seungri later invited B to travel to Bali coinciding with the time he would be going with girlfriend A.

Everything only unraveled after A and B became friends on the social media platform Instagram and coincidentally noticed this overlap. After being exposed for “playing two sides,” Seungri tried to explain himself but couldn’t prevent the anger of the two girlfriends. This is also the reason they decided to accuse the idol to the news outlet Dispatch.