S. Korea police to summon K-pop band iKON’s ex-leader over drugs allegation

Yonhap photo via The Korea Herald/Asia News Network

SEOUL — Police plan to summon B.I, former leader of K-pop band iKON, next week to question him about an allegation of drug use, according to officials.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency is accelerating its probe into the drugs allegation facing the former iKON member, whose real name is Kim Han-bin, as well as related suspicions over Yang Hyun-suk, the former chief of the band’s music label.

Kim will be grilled over whether he bought marijuana from an acquaintance in 2016 and smoked it, according to police officials.

The acquaintance initially told the police during an interrogation about drugs charges in 2016 that she was asked by Kim to procure marijuana, but she subsequently reversed her testimony.

In June this year, she came forward and disclosed through a government commission that Yang, then the chief of YG Entertainment, goaded and pressed her into reversing her police testimony in 2016.

The police plan to summon the acquaintance to accelerate the investigation into the accusations against both Kim and Yang.

“The police are currently talking to (her) and Kim to schedule their interrogations,” a police official said.

When the drug allegations hit the media in June, B.I left iKON, a move immediately followed by the resignation of Yang as CEO of the entertainment firm.

Yang is the subject of a separate police investigation into overseas gambling and other matters. (Yonhap)