Seungri's account, @seungriseyo, which had 8 million followers, is no longer available. Photo: AFP
Former BigBang member Seungri's Instagram account was removed by the platform on Monday (May 30), days after the South Korean Supreme Court rejected the 32-year-old singer's appeal for a lighter sentence over his involvement in the Burning Sun scandal.
The court upheld the 18-month prison sentence of the former K-pop idol, whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, on May 27.
The infamous Burning Sun scandal, which involved sex, drugs and police protection at a nightclub of the same name, shook the entertainment industry when it was uncovered in 2019.
According to Instagram's Help Centre, convicted sex offenders are not allowed on the social media platform.
Seungri's account, @seungriseyo, which had 8 million followers, is no longer available.
Other South Korean stars such as actor Ko Young-wook, singer Jung Joon-young and former FT Island member Choi Jong-hoon were previously removed from Instagram for similar reasons.
Seungri left the influential boy band in 2019 in the wake of the scandal and was not part of their long-awaited comeback in April involving the other four original members – G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang and Daesung.
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported that Seungri is currently being held at a Military Correctional Institution and will be transferred to a correctional facility for the rest of his sentence.
His jail term is expected to end in February 2023. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
