What Is Burning Sun?
The Burning Sun scandal is an umbrella moniker that covers three major scandals and a variety of smaller legal cases. The primary cases are;
- The Burning Sun Nightclub
- Seungri’s Legal Case
- Jung Joonyoung’s Molka Kakaotalk Chatroom Scandal
The Burning Sun Nightclub scandal is the case that started the rest, starting with a physical assault in November of 2018, the story gained public media attention in January of 2019. The assault victim, Kim Sangkyo, made extreme allegations against the club about drug smuggling, police collusion, and trafficking. The club was thoroughly investigated by police and it was found that none of these allegations were true and were, in fact, fabricated to cover up Kim’s own crime of sexual molestation. Kim was charged with such, as well as obstruction of business and defamation. [Source 1, Source 2]
Seungri’s involvement stemmed from his role as the public face of the club. Misidentified as the owner, Seungri became the face of the scandal. Not long after the nightclub allegations started coming out, SBS reporter Kang Kyungyoon began publishing articles accusing Seungri of mediating prostitution services for foreign investors and for being involved in a molka-sharing group chat with other celebrities. These allegations were investigated and, while he was not found guilty of sharing molka or even being in the group chat, he was found guilty on 9 other charges—including prostitution mediation—and was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison.
Jung Joonyoung comes into the picture as the actual owner of the molka group chat. He and 5 other members (including two celebrities) were involved in filming and distributing molka. Only one member of the group chat was not arrested for Molka related crimes. Aside from that member, Jung Joonyoung and all of the others were also found guilty on charges of gangrape. Jung ultimately spent 5 years in prison for his crimes.
Key Figures
• Heo Hyun
Blog
The blog serves as supplementary commentary to the archive. While it is not necessary to read, it dives deeper into certain issues and topics surrounding the scandal that may help deepen your understanding of why things happen.
The blog’s conclusions and interpretations should not automatically be taken as established fact but, rather, it serves opinion pieces intertwined with scandal analysis. It posits possible explanations for why aspects of the scandal happened and offers possible arguments. It is meant to invoke curious and critical thinking about Burning Sun.
You can find the first blog post by going to the blog page and scrolling to the bottom of the page or by clicking here.
How To Use This Site:
Timeline → chronological overview of events
FAQ → quick answers to common questions
Glossary → definitions of key terms and Korean-language concepts
Blog → deeper analysis, commentary, and breakdowns
Sources & Methodology → how information is verified and categorized
How To Submit Information & Corrections:
If you have new information you’d like added to the archive or you have a concern that something posted here is incorrect, please navigate to the Contact page and submit a form. Please include direct links to sources, form submitted that simply say “x is wrong, y is correct” will not be considered.
Furthermore, if you have any questions regarding the case or this website, the contact form can also be utilized to easily get in contact with the archivist.