Let’s Get to Know the South Korean Singer with an Innocent Face and Melodious Voice, FT Island’s Lee Hong-ki
Lee Hong-ki was born on 2 March 1990, in Gwangju, South Korea. He’s a singer, actor, songwriter, host, and radio DJ. He’s also better known as lead vocalist of the South Korean rock band FT Island, which debuted in 2007. He is registered as a student of Kyunghee University with a theater and film major. He also started a fashion business with his own brand, in the form of accessories, jewelry, and several types of nail products with the name ‘Skullhong’ in 2014. He even did his own designs for all his fashion brands. This business was originally based in South Korea, especially in Seoul, then spread to Hong Kong, Tokyo, and also several regions in Japan.
In this article, Byeol Korea will explain all about Lee Hong-ki’s On Choi Jong-hoon’s Recent Controversy and Future Plans For the Band, FT Island. So, stay tuned!
Choi Jong-hoon’s Involvement in Jung Joon-young’s Scandal
The Burning Sun prostitution case in South Korea is still widely discussed by the public even now. Choi Jong-hoon, a former member of FT Island, was one of the artists who was proven to be involved in the case. An illegal video case was revealed from a KakaoTalk chat group, which dragged ing the name of the former FT Island guitarist. The latest news revealed that the 29-year-old man was said to have bribed a police officer when Choi Jong-hoon was involved in a drunk driving case in 2016.
One of the Korean media said that Choi Jong-hoon has good relations with high-ranking police officers. Reportedly the man, who was born in Seoul, covered up the case so as not to tarnish his good name in the entertainment world. Because of this, the case really wasn’t made public public. Choi Jong-hoon’s management agency, FNC Entertainment, claimed the artist felt guilty and regretted his actions.
“Choi Jong-hoon feels very guilty for his past mistakes, and he also ponders his mistakes which make fans disappointed, to tarnish the good name of the group,” the agency said.
FNC Entertainment also promised to take responsibility and pay more attention to the artists who work with it. “In addition, the agency feels a deep responsibility for Choi Jong-hoon’s involvement in unfavorable matters and for not recognizing the previous situation. We promise to make more efforts to manage our artists as a whole,” the agency continued.
Illegal video cases also dragged several names of other famous South Korean artists and idols. They include Kang Daniel, EXO’s Sehun, Highlight’s Yong Jun-hyung, to SNSD’s sister Yuri, and also Kwon Hyuk-joon. Some of the names have denied they were involved in the scandal.
Choi Jong-hoon Left the Band
Choi Jong-hoon was confirmed to resign from his band, FT Island, following his involvement in a group chat with Seungri and Jung Joon-young, who were involved in the case. The news of his resignation was conveyed by FNC Entertainment through a statement on March 14, 2019.
“It has been decided today that Choi Jong-hoon, who has sparked controversy with involvement in a series of recent incidents, will leave FT Island,” the agency statement said.
Choi Jong-hoon’s name was dragged into the case that covered former BIGBANG’s youngest member, Seungri, after he was proven to be part of a controversial chat group. Moreover, from the group’s chat, Choi Jong-hoon was caught covering up a drunk driving case in February, 2016. In the conversation, he told everyone who was in the group chat that he got protection from the police to cover up his case so it would not go public.
In response, the agency apologized with a previous statement that seemed to have helped protect Choi Jong-hoon’s name. They said they did not intend to hide or cover up the truth about the problem.
“Previously, based on our mutual trust relationship, we asked him about what he remembered from past incidents before issuing a statement. We convey a deep apology for causing confusion by releasing inaccurate statements through this process,” the agency said, quoted by Soompi. Furthermore, the agency also stressed that Choi Jong-hoon had decided to leave the group that raised his name forever and would retire from the entertainment industry
“The agency is aware of the severity and feels responsible for this problem, and we will fully cooperate with the police investigation process so that the truth can be clearly identified,” he added.
Not spared, they also conveyed apologies from Choi Jong-hoon to those who got into trouble because of his words and actions that were inappropriate and embarrassing in the past. FNC Entertainment also said that the 29-year-old man was very sorry to disappoint fans and was pondering his behavior.
“The agency expressed our deep apologies for not paying attention to the proper management and teaching of characters for our artists and because it has caused problems for many people due to unfavorable problems. [Agency] once again promises to be more thorough and strict in the management and education of all our artist. We apologize,” concluded FNC Entertainment.
Aside from Choi Jong-hoon, former Highlight member Yong Jun-hyung, who was also in the group chat with Seungri and Jung Joon-young, also claimed to withdraw from the group and the entertainment world.
