S.Korea gives pop idol T.O.P. suspended jail term for smoking weed

YG Entertainment

20/07/2017 09:22

SEOUL, July 20 (Reuters) - A South Korean court on Thursday 
handed K-pop sensation T.O.P. a suspended 10-month jail sentence 
for drug use, after he pleaded guilty and sought leniency to 
avoid a prison term.  
    The suspended term for the 29-year old, whose legal name is 
Choi Seung-hyun, followed his indictment without detention last 
month for using marijuana four times in October 2016 with a 
trainee singer at his home in the capital, Seoul. 
    The use of marijuana is illegal and considered a serious 
crime in South Korea, but the severity of punishment has eased 
from the past.  
    "I admit guilt on all charges and deeply regret my action," 
Choi told reporters following the verdict, which he does not 
plan to appeal.       
    Before the verdict, the actor-singer had also offered a 
public apology for letting down his family and fans. 
    During investigation, the rapper denied some of the charges 
he faced but later pleaded guilty to all. Choi was also once 
taken to hospital after being found unconscious following an 
overdose of sedatives.        
    In 2011, G-Dragon, a fellow member of Choi's Big Bang group, 
also tested positive for marijuana, but was not formally 
prosecuted. 
    At the time, he told South Korean authorities he had been 
offered what appeared to be a cigarette at a party in Japan, but 
had not realised he was being given marijuana, since he was 
unfamiliar with its distinctive smell.    
 
 (Reporting by Haejin Choi and Jiwon Choi; Editing by Se Young 
Lee and Clarence Fernandez) 
 ((Haejin.Choi@thomsonreuters.com;)) 
 
Keywords: SOUTHKOREA TOP/VERDICT