Nam Tae Hyun: Former WINNER member arrested for illegal drugs, comeback causes chaos on social media

Nam Tae Hyun is known as a former member of the boy band WINNER who was once in trouble with the law for using illegal drugs. After a period of hiding, he has just returned and made a statement that caused a stir on the internet.

Nam Tae Hyun, also known as Tae Hyun, born May 10, 1994, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, producer and actor. In 2011, he became known as a backup dancer for YG Family Concert. In 2013, he participated in the reality TV show "Win: Who Is Next" as a trainee in "Team A".

Nam Tae Hyun then debuted as a member of the group WINNER and participated in the production of their debut album - 2014 S/S, which was released in August 2014. In 2015, while the group was on hiatus, he made his acting debut in the web drama "Midnight Girl".

In the same year, Nam Tae Hyun played a supporting role in the drama "Late Night Restaurant". He was also cast in the Chinese-Korean collaboration film "Under the Black Moonlight". In January 2016, Tae Hyun released the single "Pricked" in collaboration with Mino.

After nearly 18 months of hiatus, WINNER's comeback mini-album "Exit: E" was released on February 1. The album contains five tracks, including "Pricked" and the double title tracks "Baby Baby" and "Sentimental." Nam Tae Hyun played a major role in producing both title tracks, as well as his solo track "I'm Young."

In March 2016, Tae Hyun joined tvN's "Actor School", a variety show featuring seven stars who undergo a series of training sessions with actor Park Shin-yang, to hone their acting skills. On October 12, YG Entertainment announced that the idol would be halting promotional activities and receiving treatment for mental health issues.

As a result, WINNER's comeback was postponed indefinitely. Then, on November 25, it was reported that Nam Tae Hyun had withdrawn from the group and terminated his contract with YG Entertainment. The next day, he posted a handwritten letter on his personal Instagram account, expressing his apologies, gratitude to fans, and a commitment to return with other musical projects.

During this time, Tae Hyun continued to share his musical compositions and covers on his SoundCloud account, including covers of Radiohead's "Creep", Park Hyo-shin's "Beautiful Tomorrow", and "Breath" (숨). He was influenced by artists across many genres, such as Nirvana, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, BB King, and Eric Clapton.

On January 5, 2017, the idol Nam created a Tumblr page, posting announcements and interacting with fans from time to time. By January 23, he began recruiting for his upcoming band. On March 25, Tae Hyun and his rumored band, South Club, held a guerrilla performance at Pet Sounds Bar in Korea.

The 30-minute performance, which included four songs in total, including songs from The Beatles and Foster the People, was streamed live on platforms such as Instagram and popular Chinese video-sharing platform Miaopai. On April 11, Nam announced that his record label, South Buyers Club, had been officially registered as of March 30.

On May 26, Tae Hyun and South Club released the music video for their pre-release track "Hug Me", a rock ballad. Their first EP 90 was released on June 27, along with music videos for two title tracks: "Liar" and "I Got the Blues".

The album's name was inspired by the free expression of youth in the 90s. This was also due to the fact that all the band members were born after 1990. On July 9 of the same year, Nam's band returned with their first single titled "No".

On July 31, Tae Hyun began his career as a radio DJ. He broadcasts live on Casper Radio Vlive on Mondays at 11 p.m. to talk about various topics and share his music with his fans. During his 32nd broadcast, on April 9, 2018, Nam announced that he would be doing his last broadcast on May 7, to focus more on his music.

Nam Tae Hyun has a complicated personal life. In August 2022, his girlfriend Seo Min Jae accused him of violence and methamphetamine use. Although the girl quickly "turned around" to clarify that she had posted the post because of an argument with her boyfriend and denied using illegal substances, the police quickly launched an investigation.

In September 2022, the police summoned the couple to collect hair and urine samples and send them to the National Academy of Sciences for testing. The police also suspected that Nam Tae Hyun and Seo Min Jae intentionally destroyed evidence. In May 2023, the Korean media continued to report that the Yongsan Police Station, Seoul, had requested an arrest warrant for the former WINNER member on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act. The male idol and his ex-girlfriend were arrested on suspicion of using illegal drugs together. Both were later given suspended prison sentences.

On the TV show In Depth 60 Minutes, Nam Tae Hyun said that at first he used addictive diet pills and sleeping pills. Then over time, the male artist gradually fell into illegal substances without realizing it. He added that having to witness many people passing away after their health gradually weakened due to drug abuse made him decide to seek treatment at a rehabilitation center.

After a while, on January 22, 2025, according to KoreaBoo, netizens found the whereabouts of Nam Tae Hyun. Specifically, the former WINNER member was discovered to have posted a status expressing regret for past mistakes on a forum.

With what he has experienced, Tae Hyun hopes to support the work of preventing illegal substances, helping addicts live a healthy life again. "I will live and always reflect on my past wrongdoings so that I can become a person who helps prevent drugs," he wrote.

Many netizens said they were surprised that a person who was once arrested for using illegal substances, now returned by publicly promoting its prevention. However, with the male artist's actions after rehabilitation, netizens all hope that he can maintain a healthy lifestyle and thinking, escape the control of illegal substances to start a new life.

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