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| F.T. Island's Choi Jong-hoon. |
By Park Si-soo
K-pop stars are falling like dominos as a sex/drug scandal spirals out of control.
K-pop band F.T. Island's Choi Jong-hoon is at risk of following Seungri of BIGBANG and Jung Joon-young ― two disgraced K-pop stars who were axed from their agencies and face police investigation for their alleged illegal activities.
Choi got ensnared in the widening scandal on Wednesday after records of a Kakao Talk group chatroom for celebs, including the three, were disclosed, including messages written in June 2016 hinting that Choi had covered up his drunk driving thanks to cozy ties with a "ranking" police officer.
FNC Entertainment has admitted the singer was caught for drunk driving in February 2016, but denied allegations about cozy ties with police. But this explanation has fallen short of quelling the anger of disappointed fans.
There are signs that Choi's estranged fans are moving to expel him from the K-pop scene.
"We urge Choi to quit (the job) to take responsibility for the scandal," reads a statement posted on the F.T. Island category of DC Inside, a popular online community. "What we want is his permanent removal, not his career suspension."
The statement criticizes the singer for overlooking his celebrity friends exchanging texts sexually objectifying women.
"As the leader of the band, he has tarnished the band image severely and thrown the band's future into uncertainty," the statement said. "Given things that have been revealed so far, it's time for him to quit the job."
Choi's agency has remained silent.
