Jung Il-hoon Leaves BTOB Following Marijuana Controversy
Jung Il-hoon has left the group BTOB after being involved in a marijuana controversy. On Dec. 31, Thursday, Cube Entertainment released an official notice saying:
"We apologize for causing concern over the issue of our artist Jung Il-hoon.
We deeply regret and feel responsible for breaking the trust of many fans and causing their disappointment.
After careful discussion, we also decided that he doesn't want to harm the group any longer and decided to leave his team from today.
We feel heavy responsibility for the current situation and will continue our duties to the end to faithfully engage in future investigations.
BTOB will continue to work as a six-member group in the future, and we will do our best to support BTOB to show more mature music and stage."
We sincerely apologize to the fans who support and care for BTOB, once again."
BTOB Il-hoon Withdraw From BTOB, an Aftermath of His Cannabis Investigation Case
Prior to his departure from the group, Il-hoon was sent to Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency last Dec. 21, due to allegedly violating the law on drug management after it was discovered that he's been purchasing and using marijuana.
According to the investigation, Jung Il-hoon is known to have smoked marijuana four to five years ago, after drug ingredients were detected from a sample of his hair. According to reports, in order to avoid the police investigation network, he bought it through his acquaintances (accomplices) and used virtual currency (cryptocurrency) instead of cash.
As soon as the news broke out, Cube Entertainment, the agency of the group, and the idol initially claimed that they don't have any idea about the case, but later on, acknowledged that the rapper was indeed summoned by the police for investigation over drug charges.
It was then revealed that Il-hoon began his service as a social service worker in May, just before the case was transferred to the prosecution, raising suspicions of enlisting as a fugitive.
Public Views Towards Il-hoon and BTOB Change
BTOB, which debuted in 2012 may not be as popular as the preeminent stars of this current generation, but they were constantly praised for their clean image and outstanding skills. The K-pop group got members who are praised for being "all-rounders," or being able to sing, dance, rap, composed songs, and act. On top of that, they are receiving favorable responses to their fun and well-rounded personalities.
However, several fans, particularly Korean melodies (fandom of BtoB) turned their backs on the member. In BTOB Gallery, some fans posted a message on the community and insisted Il-hoon to quit from the group.
Some fans said, "For the fans who have been supporting BTOB since their debut in 2012, it is an unacceptable act despite any reason. We emphasize that the agency's ability to remove Jung Il-hoon from the group as soon as possible, is to do its real duty."
Since then, Jung Il-hoon has announced his withdrawal from BTOB about 10 days after the controversy over marijuana smoking erupted. Among them, it remains to be seen what kind of punishment Jung Il-hoon will face in the future, and whether BTOB, a "six-member group," will be able to overcome the crisis again.
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Written by Eunice Dawson
