Ever since his first appearance in the Mnet and YG Entertainment survival show WIN: Who Is Next in 2013, Kim Han-bin or better known as B.I, had stolen the hearts of K-Pop fans here and there. His dedicated hard work ethic, as well as charismatic presence, have landed him a role as the leader of YG’s 2015 boy band IKON. But, despite his calm and cool demeanor, fans were shocked to find out that their precious idol got himself involved in a 2019 drug scandal, which even further forced him to leave his beloved group. So, after all of that, how’s B.I doing now after his drug scandal? Find out all the latest news that you need to know by scrolling down the article below.
B.I Leaves IKON
A report on the accusation of IKON’s B.I attempting to purchase drugs first came on June 12th, 2019, by Korean News Outlet Dispatch. In the report, it was stated that B.I attempted to purchase marijuana and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) in 2016 and yet he got away with the police investigation even though the police were aware of this purchase. The drug dealer was discovered to be an individual named A and was arrested at their home. While the police were investigating A’s personal phone, they also discovered a KakaoTalk conversation between A and B.I from April 2016. In that conversation, it seemed that B.I was attempting to purchase drugs by telling A that he was a marijuana smoker and attempting to purchase LSD as a proxy through A. A piece of the conversations reads as follows: Another piece of the conversation is translated as follows: A: L (LSD) is a top-grade drug in Korea. B.I: No, not that, haha. The strength of the drug. A: I’m saying the drug itself is strong too. B.I: Can I get as much as I want? A: Yeah. B.I: Should I get three? I have to save money. Can’t I get a discount if you buy it? A: No, but once you try L, weed will seem like a joke to you. That’s how you get to cocaine. Then you’ll really get in trouble. B.I: Haha, I won’t. I’m doing it because I want to become a genius. A: You’ll end up like OOO, haha. B.I: I’m going to stick to one my whole life. To be honest, I XXXXing want to use it everyday, but XXXX, it’s expensive. B.I: But when you take L does it do that? Seeing things like graphics and seeing illusions and everything? While another conversation went as follows: A: Is it because you’re too lazy to buy it again? B.I: Yeah, haha. That too, and also I just want to possess [LSD] worth about 1 million won (approximately $850). A: You’re possessive about strange things. B.I: XXXX. I’m debating if I should buy 10 or 1 million won’s worth. A: 1 million won’s worth is only six. 10 would be 150 million won (approximately $1,270). B.I: That’s expensive. Haha. No discounts for bulk purchases? A: I’ll try asking. That’s why I’m telling you to buy a little bit because it’s your first time. B.I: Haha, hey, that’s not me. I have to go all out from the beginning. That’s how men should be. B.I: But try asking if I can get a discount for buying in bulk… A: I’ll try asking. Another whistleblower of B.I’s drug came from a drug dealer referred to as C who gave testimony by revealing B.I as one of their clients. In one of A’s investigations on August 30th, 2016, A revealed, “It is true that B.I asked for the drug, but I did not actually obtain any for him.” B.I: Haha, I’m asking you since I’ve taken some with you. A: If you keep doing that, I’ll be the one to get hit by Yang [Hyun Suk]. Be careful. B.I: Can you get it immediately? A: But you really have to watch your mouth. B.I: For [LSD], I won’t get caught if I just watch my mouth. You have to do a spine examination [to detect LSD]. A: You think they won’t look at your phone? They look at all of your KakaoTalk messages. B.I: Yeah, I know. I’m in XXXXing danger right now. Delete this for now. A: Lol. B.I: I’m a coward so delete it, XXXX. I’m in Macau. B.I: I’m flying to Korea on Saturday, and I’ll have to buy some from you. Although the investigation for A kept going on throughout 2016, the police didn’t investigate B.I further. Dispatch made an argument that YG Entertainment actually asked A to change their testimony and paid the attorney’s fee for this. In response to Dispatch’s calls, YG Entertainment denied that B.I was ever involved in the 2016 drug case. They stated, “YG strictly manages the drug use of our artists. B.I has no relation to the drug case in 2016. YG purchases a basic drug test kit every two months from the United States and performs a drug test. iKON also underwent a urine examination ahead of their promotions. Including B.I, none of the members tested positive.” They went on, “‘A’ mentioned B.I’s name in their police investigation to reduce the weight of their crime. We saw the testimony, and we met ‘A’ in the company to ask them to correct [their testimony]. That is why ‘A’ changed their words in their third investigation.” Despite insisting on his innocence, B.I eventually released his apology statement and announced that he would be leaving the group IKON for everyone’s benefit. He released the statement through his Instagram post on June 12th, 2019. His official statement follows: Within the same day, YG Entertainment also revealed their official statement regarding the confirmation of B.I’s departure of iKON. First, I would like to sincerely apologize for stirring up trouble due to my tremendously inappropriate actions. It is true that I wanted to rely on something that I shouldn’t have had any interest in due to going through a hard and painful time. However, I was too scared and fearful to do it. Even so, I am so ashamed and apologetic to fans who were greatly disappointed and hurt because of my wrong words and actions. I intend to humbly self-reflect on my mistake and leave the team. Once again, I bow my head down and sincerely apologize to fans and the members. I apologize. YG Entertainment’s statement: We bow our heads and apologize for disappointing everyone with our artist Kim Han Bin’s problem. Kim Han Bin is feeling heavy responsibility due to the impact of this matter. Taking the matter seriously, he has decided to leave the team and terminate his exclusive contract. YG has become keenly aware of our responsibility for managing our agency artists. Once again we sincerely apologize for causing concern.
