Choi Jong Hoon: Collapsed due to group chat scandal, struggling and miserable life after serving prison term

From the beloved male musician and actor with a handsome appearance, Choi Jong Hoon lost everything because of the scandal of the group chat group that shocked Korean showbiz in 2019. After his prison term was released, Choi Jong Hoon is now living a tight life. suffering.

Choi Jong Hoon was born on March 7, 1990, is a former South Korean musician and actor. He used to be the leader of the group, taking the position of playing guitar and keyboard of the group FT Island that debuted in 2007. In March 2019, Choi Jong Hoon was entangled in a chat group scandal that shocked the Korean entertainment industry.

During his time with FT Island, Choi Jong Hoon performed as guitarist and backing vocalist, achieving great success in Korea and throughout Asia. Choi Jong Hoon began appearing and making guest appearances on many dramas starting in 2008. Career on the verge of success. Choi Jong Hoon lost everything because of his bohemian lifestyle.

In 2019, the Korean entertainment industry was shocked when it discovered a chat group consisting of many famous male idols. In it, the famous and powerful not only secretly filmed relationship videos but also kidnapped and "infringed" some girls.

At the time of the incident, Choi Jong Hoon was under great pressure when he was turned away by his own fans. On the fan forum of FT.Island, many opinions have frankly called for him to leave the band, although the investigation agency has not released any information regarding the male singer. His management company initially only admitted to the crime of "ghost man" driving in 2016 and affirmed that he was innocent in the remaining accusations.

However, SBS FunE proved they weren't making up the story by revealing a joking text message between Choi Jong Hoon and Jung Joon Young about "silenting" the police. The program also revealed that the 29-year-old male idol is also the third member of this perverted chat group. Faced with indisputable evidence, FNC Entertainment and Choi Jong Hoon both remained silent. However, the fact that he was the leader of the group but got into such a big scandal was enough for FT.Island fans and the rest of the group to lose all faith.

On his personal page, Lee Hong Ki also expressed boredom with the scandal of his bandmates. When fans urged, "Please, don't give up on Choi Jong Hoon", Hong Ki only said briefly, "I'm out of hands", clearly showing that he is also very disappointed with Choi Jong's criminal past. Hoon.

On the morning of April 4, a source from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency revealed that the former leader of the FT ISLAND group admitted to offering a bribe to a police officer after he was found to be drunk driving. . This scandal happened in 2016 but when the shocking scandal about the chat group was exposed, the above incident was reported by the media.

At the time of the violation, the male idol had an alcohol content of 0.97%. The police then suspended the license of this cult star and fined 2.5 million won (about 51 million dong). Although the police denied taking bribes, the case was kept strictly confidential and was not reported by the media.

In addition to the noise related to the police silence, Choi Jong Hoon is being investigated for the act of secretly filming and distributing illegal videos in the chat group. Accordingly, this number does not stop at only 1 or 2 clips but has increased to 6. In which, 5 clips were received by this male singer from others and distributed, 1 clip was recorded by himself.

Choi Jong Hoon has been investigated since March 2019 after the chat group that shocked the Korean entertainment industry was discovered. Prosecutors then asked the court to issue an arrest warrant for Choi Jong Hoon to serve the investigation. On March 18, Choi Jong Hoon had to appear in court at the Seoul High Court. Prosecutors recommended a one-and-a-half year penalty for the male idol's bribery charge. In addition to other crimes such as taking pictures and distributing photos without the consent of the other party, Choi Jong Hoon was forced to participate in an educational program and was banned from working in areas related to children. and minors for 5 years.

It is known that Choi Jong Hoon bribed about 2 million won to the police at the scene of his arrest for drunk driving in 2016. Before this allegation, Choi Jong Hoon's lawyer said. : "He has denied bribery but admitted to the rest of the charges. It is not right to accuse him of bribery and we will appeal."

Choi Jong Hoon's lawyer explained that the amount of money that the male singer gave the police was very small, only about 1.8 thousand USD, so it cannot be considered as a bribe. However, the male singer's lawyer acknowledged Choi Jong Hoon's illegal recording and distribution. However, this person asked the court to consider reducing the sentence for Choi Jong Hoon because he did not reveal the victim's face.

In court, Choi Jong Hoon also showed sincerity and said, "I'm really sorry for my stupid behavior. I accept any punishment. If I can return to the community, I will support it. this community as an ordinary citizen, not an entertainer."

On November 8, 2021, Choi Jong Hoon was officially released after completing a sentence of two years and six months in prison and 80 hours of rehabilitation for special criminals. Before that, he was sentenced to a series of crimes such as filming, taking and distributing illegal videos and images; collective attack on many drunk women with Jung Joon Young and other celebrities.

After serving his prison term, on 12/1222, Hankyung newspaper reported that Choi Jong Hoon first appeared after being released from prison. He was seen attending church service with his mother. In the photo posted by the media, Choi Jong Hoon has long hair, glasses and a mask covering his face. According to the media, the former FT Island member was surprised and confused when he was approached by reporters in the parking lot. He did not understand how the media knew about his personal schedule.

"How did you know I came here. Did the church leak my information. I went through psychological trauma, this is beyond imagination," Choi Jong Hoon said. After that, Choi Jong Hoon became more harsh, "What are you doing? I'm also hurt and shocked. What do you think I should say if I keep pointing the tape recorder like this?".

After all, Choi Jong Hoon is currently living a miserable life because he has to hide. As a celebrity who commits crimes, Choi Jong Hoon is currently under a lot of influence in his life. In particular, the way to return to the entertainment industry of Choi Jong Hoon is also impossible.