BIGBANG's G-Dragon Reportedly Booked on Drug-Related Charges, Agency Issues Statement

Big Bang rapper G-Dragon has given his first interview since he was booked by South Korean police on drug charges, reiterating his denial of the allegations and rubbishing new claims that he had shaved his body to ‘tamper with evidence’.The new interview was conducted by South Korean news network Yonhap News TV in a live broadcast on national television yesterday evening (November 13). When asked by a Yonhap representative if he had taken any drugs, the singer continued to firmly deny the claims.

An extra £20 per week should be given to those receiving Universal Credit to help reduce the number of people living in poverty, a senior Labour MP has said. Speaking in the Commons during the ‘Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity’ debate on Wednesday, former shadow chancellor John McDonnell made an appeal to the UK Government to “help our children out of poverty” in the upcoming Autumn Statement.

Lamb Of God have issued a statement after their inaugural Headbangers Boat cruise festival took a turn for the worse this past week, as an attendee fell overboard.The Headbangers Boat cruise festival took place between October 31 and November 4 and saw Lamb Of God, Mastodon, Hatebreed, Gwar, Testament and more play to attendees as they sailed from Miami to the Bahamas and back on the Norwegian Peal cruise ship.On November 3, a 41-year-old male attendee fell overboard, initiating a search and rescue mission that lasted nine hours before being called off by the cruise’s captain, per a report from Cruise Hive. The man was not found, and the cruise returned to Miami.Following the incident, Lamb Of God issued a now-deleted statement that read: “On the early morning of Friday, Nov.

Tom Daley's husband, Dustin Lance Black, has issued a statement after being cleared of assault charges when his case was dismissed mid-trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.The claims made by a reality TV star that she was assaulted by Dustin, who married Olympic swimmer Tom Daley, 27, in 2017, were dismissed as inconsistent and not enough to secure a conviction. CCTV footage shown in Westminster Magistrates' Court today revealed Mr Black grappling with TV host Teddy Edwardes at Freedom Bar in London's Soho, while a former Love Island winner and Tom himself watched in shock. Dustin was alleged to have grabbed Teddy’s wrist “very hard” and spilled her drink over her.

Big Bang rapper G-Dragon has taken to Instagram to address his recent police questioning and drug test, saying “justice will prevail” amid his alleged drug use.G-Dragon took to Instagram on November 7 with a post that features a Korean idiom and a vague, brief message that’s seemingly in reference to his recent police questioning and rapid drug test that occurred earlier this week. The singer has repeated denied all drug use allegations.“Justice will prevail,” the Korean idiom reads, as translated by The Korea Herald. Written below the four-character idiom is a brief sentence written in bold: “Everything will go in its right way in the end.”The post notably went live hours after he left the police station the same day for the questioning, which reportedly lasted for approximately four hours.A post shared by 권지용(權志龍) (@xxxibgdrgn)As G-Dragon was leaving the police station, he also spoke to the media and claimed that a rapid drug test administered to him by police had come back negative.

Pledis Entertainment, home to K-pop group SEVENTEEN, has announced the upcoming debut of a brand-new boyband in early-January 2024.South Korean media outlet JTBC reported on November 7 that Pledis Entertainment is planning to debut their first boyband in nine years in early January 2024. The report claimed that the group will consist of five to six members, including some who are not native Korean.Shortly after speculations surfaced, the company confirmed the news in an official statement to SPOTV News.

G-Dragon has appeared for questioning by the police over his alleged drug use.Yesterday (November 6), G-Dragon showed up at the Nonhyeon Police Station in Incheon to undergo police questioning over his alleged drug use. The singer – real name Kwon Ji-young – was first booked by the police on October 26 for allegedly breaching South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act.Prior to the questioning, G-Dragon spoke to reporters, denying the drug use allegation.

FIFTY FIFTY‘s viral hit song ‘Cupid’ has reportedly sued the K-pop girl group’s agency, Attrakt.Ahn Sung-il, who co-wrote and -produced FIFTY FIFTY’s ‘Cupid’ under his pen name SIAHN, has reportedly sued Oscar Chun, the CEO of Attrakt, for defamation, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.Yoon & Yang, the law firm representing Ahn, claimed in a statement to Korea JoongAng Daily that Chun has “continuously made defamatory allegations without evidence against Ahn Sung-il […] through various media outlets since the dispute”.Korea JoongAng Daily also reports that Ahn might “file additional complaints against Chun for false accusation and obstruction of business”, citing representatives of the producer.Chun has yet to respond publicly to the lawsuit at time of writing. NME has reached out for comment.Notably, Ahn and Chun have been involved in a highly publicised dispute over the girl group and the copyright of their hit song ‘Cupid’ since June 2023.At the time, Attrakt had filed a criminal complaint against Ahn, claiming that the producer had “delayed the handover of its data [to Attrakt], deleted the company mail account and other data regarding the project”, among other allegations.Meanwhile, Attrakt recently terminated the contracts of FIFTY FIFTY members Aran, Sio and Saena, claiming that the trio had “show[n] o sign of remorse for violating their contract”.

BLACKPINK‘s Jisoo was reportedly paid up to US$80,000 per episode for her 2021 K-drama series, Snowdrop.From December 2021 to January 2022, BLACKPINK’s Jisoo starred in the JTBC K-drama series, Snowdrop, alongside Jung Hae-in. The series was the singer-actress’ first starring role in a TV show, following a number of guest appearances over the years.It’s been reported that the BLACKPINK member and co-star Jung were reportedly paid up to ₩110million (roughly US$81,000) per episode of the K-drama series, according to data obtained by SBS.The figure was part of an October 24 report that was presented by Lee Sang-heon, a member of South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party, who is also the chairman of the Cultural, Sports, and Tourism Committee.The report, submitted by the Korean Broadcasting Actors Union and the Performing Arts Rights Association of South Korea, was part of efforts to highlight the pay gap between lead and supporting actors in the entertainment industry.According to the report, Lee Sun-kyun was paid ₩200million (US$148,000) for an episode of the 2023 SBS series, Payback.

Amy Schumer is responding to criticism.

CUBE Entertainment has responded to reports of BtoB’s contract expirations in an official statement.Earlier today (November 1), South Korean media outletIlgan Sports reported that the contracts of five BtoB members had expired, alledging that the K-pop idols and CUBE Entertainment have yet to come to an agreement on a possible renewal.According to the report, BtoB are interested staying as group even if they leave CUBE Entertainment. Ilgan Sports also claims that several other labels have offered up to ₩6billion (approximately £3.64million) as a down payment to house the group if they decide to depart from their long-time agency.Shortly after reports of BtoB’s contract expiration surfaced, CUBE issued a brief statement to Xport News, saying that “the contract between CUBE Entertainment and some of the BtoB members has not yet concluded”, as translated by Koreaboo.“We plan on doing our best until the end of the contract,” CUBE Entertainment added.“We understand that the BtoB members are working through this situation with an open mindset, looking at various options.”In response to claims of third-party labels approaching BtoB, CUBE Entertainment said: “The amount mentioned in the article has nothing to do with our company’s position related to the matter.”BtoB debuted as a seven-member group in 2012, and have last renewed their contracts with CUBE Entertainment in 2018.

G-Dragon will attend a police questioning and take a drug test next week, as part of the ongoing investigations into his alleged drug use.G-Dragon’s lawyer, Kim Su-hyeon, said in a press release that the K-pop idol’s upcoming questioning by the police is voluntary and will take place on Monday (November 6) at the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul, according to Yonhap News Agency.On top of the questioning, police also announced yesterday (October 31) that they will also be conducting a rapid drug test on the 35-year-old singer as part of procedure.The October 31 statement by G-Dragon’s legal counsel also included a warning from against the dissemination of falsified information about the singer’s current situation.“We urge the media and press to report with responsibility to prevent Kwon Ji-yong, a K-pop artist representing South Korea, from being inflicted any irrevocable damage from the spread of false information,” the statement read.G-Dragon – real name Kwon Ji-young – was first booked by the Incheon Metropolitan Police on October 26, and is currently under probe without detention for his alleged breach of South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act.A day after the allegations surfaced (October 27), the musician came forward to deny claims of his illegal drug use in a statement through his lawyer.According to The Korea Herald’s report on October 30, G-Dragon issued a second statement reiterating his stance, and displayed his notification to the police of his legal representation and will for voluntary questioning and investigation.“Kwon has submitted all the evidence necessary for the investigation and his vow to sincerely cooperate in the hair and urine test, in order to reveal the truth and prove his innocence,”

G-Dragon’s advisory counsel is speaking out.

Police have issued an update following the tragic death of ice hockey star Adam Johnson.

G-Dragon, also a member of the K-pop boyband Big Bang, has denied allegations of drug use against him.Today (October 27), G-Dragon – real name is Kwon Ji-yong – denied claims of illegal drug use in a statement that was released through his lawyer, as seen by South Korean news outlet The Korea Times.“I’ve never used drugs,” said the 35-year-old singer. “I’ll actively and more sincerely cooperate with the police investigation since I know well that many people are worried about me.”G-Dragon’s statement denying the claims come just a day after the singer was booked by the Incheon Metropolitan Police.

BTS, (G)I-DLE and LE SSERAFIM, have denied any rumours of links to a recent spate of drug-related investigations in the Korean entertainment industry.In the past week, popular South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun and Big Bang member G-Dragon were booked on suspicion of drug use. The two cases are said to be unrelated to one another.Soon after the news broke, rumours that other high-profile K-pop stars were also being investigated for drug use started circulating online, according to SBS Star.Among them were LE SSERAFIM’s Kim Chaewon, (G)I-DLE’s Jeon Soyeon and K-pop boyband BTS.

G-Dragon, a member of the K-pop boyband Big Bang, has reportedly been booked by police for suspected drug use.G-Dragon – real name Kwon Ji-yong – was booked by the Incheon Metropolitan Police yesterday (October 25) and is currently under investigation for allegedly breaching South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act, per The Korea Herald.The police have also stated that the investigation is unrelated to an ongoing high-profile case involving South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, per Yonhap News Agency. The Incheon Metropolitan Police had launched an investigation into eight people, including Lee, last week over suspected drug use.When the investigation was first launched, the Parasite actor had been linked to the case but was not named a suspect.

TUI has apologised to passengers after one of its planes slid off the runway upon landing at Leeds Bradford.

Dragon’s Den star Hilary Devey reportedly left no money in her will, despite having an estimated £80 million fortune. The businesswoman passed away aged 65 in June 2022 at her holiday home in Marrakesh, Morocco, after battling a long illness. Over 12 months after her death, the contents of Hilary's will has now been released and it appears that the TV star only left material objects for her loved ones, despite her huge fortune.

Jussie Smollett is heading to a treatment facility.