When FTISLAND first made their debut back in June 2007, the FNC Entertainment-formed boy group originally consisted of five members, with one member being replaced. But over the years, a total of three members have left the group - one being Jonghoon. Three years after officially leaving the group, what has Jonghoon been up to?
Keep on reading to know Jonghoon's current status.
Jonghoon's Activities Before Leaving FTISLAND
As a member of FTILAND, Jonghoon served as the group's guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, and leader. He had been with the group since their debut in June 2007 with their first studio album "Cheerful Sensibility."
With FTISLAND, Jonghoon participated with the group in releasing several hit songs, such as "Lovesick," "Love Love Love," "Severely," "Pray," and "Wind," among others. He was also part of the group's sub-unit F.T. Triple, along with Minhwan and Jaejin.
Jonghoon
For the next couple of years, Jonghoon continued his promotions with FTISLAND, as well as focus on his individual activities such as making broadcast appearances on several programs through the years.
Why Did Jonghoon Leave FTISLAND?
In March 2019, Jonghoon became involved in the infamous Burning Sun scandal, where he was revealed to be a member of a group chat along with other celebrities that illegally shared sexually explicit videos of women without consent.
In addition, reports also say that he had bribed the police in order to prevent media outlets from reporting on a drunk driving incident he was involved in back in 2016. Following this scandal, Jonghoon's agency FNC Entertainment announced that he would be withdrawing from FTISLAND and leaving the entertainment industry.
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Jonghoon
A month later, Jonghoon was booked by police for the aforementioned allegations. He later admitted to illegally spreading photos without consent, as well as illegally filming hidden camera videos. However, he denies having bribed the police in an attempt to cover up his drunk driving incident in 2016.
Jonghoon was charged with one count of spreading personally taken illegal video and five counts of spreading videos from other sources. He was also charged with aggravated rape after a woman came forward to testify that five men, including Jonghoon, had raped her while she was intoxicated. Jonghoon initially denied the rape accusation, but admitted to being with the woman together that day.
Jonghoon
With his charges, Jonghoon was sentenced to five years in prison and 80 hours in a sexual violence rehabilitation program. He was also barred from employment in any organization related to children and teenager for five years.
Jonghoon's Current Status Following Burning Sun Scandal
After being sentenced to five years in prison, the Seoul High Court had reduced his prison sentence to only two years and six months after Jonghoon filed an appeal and reached an agreement with one of the victims.
After serving prison time for two and a half years, Jonghoon was reportedly released from prison on November 8, 2021.
Since then, Jonghoon has remained out of the spotlight and hasn't been spotted within the entertainment industry.
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Written by Robyn Joan
