[Weekly Up & Down] Stars Who Got Caught Up in Controversies: Son Dambi, Jung Ryeo Won, Park Yoo Chun, B.I & Lucas

Son Dambi & Jung Ryeo Won Explain that They Have Nothing to Do with the Fraud Case

Son Dambi and Jung Ryeo Won denied the allegations that they received expensive gifts from the con artist “fake fisherman.” Recently, it has been alleged that Kim, a fisherman who committed a 10 billion KRW (about $9.98 million USD) scam, gave expensive gifts to some celebrities with the money he got from the victims. As Son and Jung were named as those celebrities, their agency H& Entertainment denied the actresses’ involvement in the scam. The agency explained that though Kim tried to win their favor with expensive gifts, the actresses immediately returned all the gifts. Regarding Jing receiving a car as a gift, the company revealed the details of her transaction, stating that “she purchased the car herself.”

Park Yoo Chun Becomes a Hot Potato Once Again

Starting with Park Yoo Chun’s conflict with his agency, the actor once again became a hot potato once again. A, the CEO of Recielo, who is now in a legal dispute with him, claimed that Park gambled several times in the past. A also revealed that he took legal action against the actor for signing a double contract with a Japanese agency. In addition, he even added that Park used a company card to pay for his personal entertainment and living expenses and that the company helped the artist with his 2 billion KRW debt (about $1,709,100). To make matters worse, a YouTuber raised the allegation that Park sexually harassed his fan. Soon, Park took his Japanese fan cafe to refute the claims of signing a double contract and sexual harassment. According to his writing, Park is preparing to take legal action against Recielo.

Prosecution Requests 3-Year Prison Sentence for B.I

In the first trial held on the 27th, the prosecution sought a 3-year prison sentence for former iKON member B.I, who is being charged with illegal drug purchase/usage. In his final statement, B.I commented, “I fully admit to all charges, and I am deeply reflecting on my wrong deeds.” B.I. is facing charges of illegally possessing and using cannabis and LSD in 2016. The artist left the band and terminated his contract with YG Entertainment.

Lucas to Halt His Promotions Following His Scandal

NCT’s Lucas will suspend his promotions due to the scandal involving his private life. The allegations began with the revelations of A, who claimed herself to his fan-turned-lover. Soon, Chinese woman B also claimed that she dated Lucas around the same time, adding “an affair” to the scandal. As a result, Lucas officially apologized for his wrongdoings. And SM Entertainment announced that Lucas would be halting his promotions.

‘Escape from Mogadishu’ Becomes the Highest-Grossing Movie in 2021

On the morning of August 28th, Escape from Mogadishu officially attracted more than 3 million moviegoers on the 33rd day of its release. With this, it became the first movie released in 2021 to record 3 million admissions. This is the record set immediately after Black Widow broke the new record (2,959,256 moviegoers). At the same time, Escape from Mogadishu also exceeded its break-even point of 3 million viewers. The disaster comedy Sinkhole is nearing its break-even point (2 million moviegoers). Also, Hostage: Missing Celebrity, starring Hwang Jung Min, recently surpassed the 1-million-viewer mark.

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