Burning Sun: The Real Story of K-pop Idols – A BBC Documentary

The dark side of the K-pop world has been exposed in the recent BBC Eye documentary titled “Burning Sun: Exposing the Secret K-pop Chat Group.” This documentary sheds light on the 2019 sex and drug scandal involving prominent K-pop idols, including Seungri, a former member of the popular K-pop boy band BIGBANG. The documentary has quickly gained traction, amassing over 1.6 million views on YouTube just two days after its release on 19 May.

The documentary, produced by BBC World Service’s investigative team, features the harrowing firsthand accounts of Park Hyo-sil and Kang Kyung-yoon, two courageous Korean reporters who risked their lives to uncover the heinous sexual assault committed by Seungri and his associates, as well as the illicit activities taking place at Seoul’s VIP nightclub, Burning Sun.

The scandal began in 2016 when Park Hyo-sil received a tip about K-pop singer Jung Joon-young secretly recording his girlfriend during sex, a crime known as “molka” in South Korea. Subsequent investigations revealed that Jung, along with Seungri and Choi Jong-hoon, were part of a secret K-pop chat group on KakaoTalk, where they were involved in drugging and sexually assaulting women at Burning Sun nightclub. Shocking exchanges in the chat group detailed the gang rape of an unconscious woman, with Jung callously referring to it as the “funniest night” of his life.

The revelations in the documentary also exposed the complicity of a senior police official, Yoon Gyu-geun, in protecting the K-pop idols involved in the scandal. Following the expose, Jung was sentenced to five years in prison for gang rape and molka, while Choi received a two-and-a-half-year sentence for his role in the crime. Seungri, on the other hand, faced multiple charges including sexual bribery, gambling, and embezzlement, resulting in an 18-month prison sentence and a fine on appeal.

Despite justice being served, the two journalists, Park and Kang, faced a barrage of death threats and harassment from fans of the convicted K-pop idols. Park, who suffered two miscarriages due to the stress of the ordeal, and Kang, who endured a three-year harassment campaign, bravely stood their ground in the face of adversity.

“Burning Sun: Exposing the Secret K-pop Chat Group” is now available for viewing on the BBC World Service YouTube channel, offering viewers a chilling glimpse into the dark underbelly of the K-pop industry. The documentary serves as a stark reminder of the power dynamics and corruption that can plague the world of entertainment, and the importance of holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.