Uh oh, another BIGBANG member has been accused of marijuana use.
South Korean media outlet Channel A reported that BIGBANG’s T.O.P is currently under investigations for marijuana use.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, T.O.P underwent a trichoscopy, a method of hair and scalp evaluation, and tested positive, which means that he had smoked marijuana. It was confirmed that he had taken marijuana last October, but police are still investigating if he has been using the drug continuously.
T.O.P is currently accused of smoking marijuana a total of 3 times between 9th and 12th October 2016 at his house in Yongsan with a female in her 20s. The rapper initially denied the allegations, and defended himself by saying, “I didn’t smoke marijuana, it was just an electronic cigarette.”
However, his female companion confessed to marijuana use, effectively implicating T.O.P too. She has also been arrested for drug use.
The case has been forwarded to the public prosecutor’s office, who will be investigating T.O.P under illegal drug use. A representative of the police station stated that his punishment will be decided once the prosecution office completes their evaluation.
YG Entertainment has also released their statement, which reads:
“Hello, this is YG Entertainment. First and foremost, we would like to convey our deepest, most sincere apologies.
After looking into the matter, our company has found that as stated by the media reports and the police, Choi Seunghyun (T.O.P) was charged on suspicion of smoking marijuana before enlisting in the military, and has cooperated in earnest with the investigation. During the investigation, he admitted to most of the charges, and is deeply reflecting on his actions. Again, we are sorry for causing so many people to worry.”
T.O.P, who enlisted in the army as a police office earlier in February, is not the first BIGBANG member to be under investigations of marijuana use. In 2011, leader G-Dragon was tested positive for marijuana through a hair test.
However, he was not charged as he was tested positive only for a minuscule amount. The singer-songwriter later claimed to have accepted an offered cigarette from a fan, without knowing that it contained marijuana.
