Following Dispatch's accusations that he purchased illegal drugs in the past, iKON's lead rapper B.I. released a public apology on his Instagram page wherein he denied the claims but has also decided to depart from his group.
The letter reads:
"This is Kim Han Bin.
First, I want to sincerely apologize for causing an issue of public criticism due to my extremely immoral actions.
It's true that during a time when I was deeply struggling and miserable, I wanted to rely on something that I should never have shown interest in. However, even then, I was scared and terrified of it and was unable to partake in it.
Nonetheless, I feel so embarrassed and apologetic toward my fans and my group members, who were undoubtedly hurt by me and disappointed in me the most, due to my immoral speech and word choice.
I humbly reflect on my mistakes and plan to leave the team.
Once again, I bow my head in apology to the fans and the members. I'm sorry."
As of press time, his post has amassed over 319,000 (and still increasing) likes from his followers while tons are expressing their heartbreak and refusal to his decision to leave iKON.
An iKONic left a comment on the idol's post, saying, "We don't want you to leave over what snakes dispatch wanna say. Hold on through the storm and take care of yourself. You deserve better than letting sc*m people ruin your name and your career. We all know you are a fighter so fight your way out of this one, Hanbin!"
Another one commented, "No please. Someone tells me I'm dreaming. Help. How is this happening? Please wake me up. Someone pinch me. I can't believe this is happening."
Dispatch's claims surfaced earlier today, stating that B.I. tried to buy marijuana and LSD back in 2016. The report also claimed that the police knew about this but swept it under the rug.
Three suspected conversations in KakaoTalk were revealed by Dispatch. Moreover, an initial testimony was provided by a drug dealer who is presumably involved. Another drug dealer testified of delivering LSD to the idol. However, the police found out in the end that B.I. did not get any.
"It is true that B.I asked for the drug, but I (drug dealer) did not actually obtain any for him," the drug dealer stated.
Dispatch also claimed that YG Entertainment paid the testifier to change his/her statement. However, the agency refuted such claims by telling Dispatch through a phone call.
"YG strictly manages the drug use of our artists. B.I. has no relation to the drug case in 2016. YG purchases a basic drug test kit every two months from the United States and performs a drug test. iKON also underwent a urine examination ahead of their promotions. Including B.I, none of the members tested positive," YG said.
"[Drug dealer] mentioned B.I's name in their police investigation to reduce the weight of their crime. We saw the testimony, and we met [drug dealer] in the company to ask them to correct [their testimony]. That is why [drug dealer] changed their words in their third investigation," the company added.
