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The first trial in the case of Kim Hanbin, aka B.I's, drug use was held on August 27 at Seoul Central District Court. At the hearing, the prosecution stated that the former member of iKON used marijuana thrice between March 2015 and April 2016.
Following this, they also asked that B.I be sentenced to three years in prison. The charge was of violating the Narcotics Management Act.
Despite B.I's confession accepting all charges against him, fans have taken to Twitter to support the former K-Pop idol.
What did the prosecutors say at B.I's first trial regarding drug use?
The prosecution said:
"B.I used marijuana a total of three times between March 2016 and April 2016, and he also purchased LSD around that time."
They used screenshots of B.I's Kakao Talk messages to point out how excited and interested he was in acquiring the drugs. They then asked for three years of prison time for the artist, in addition to a fine of 1.5 million won, which equals 1300 USD.
In the Kakao Talk messages, it was revealed that B.I had used drugs with another idol, a member of Big Bang called TOP. The messages also revealed that ten sheets of LSD were delivered near the former's dorm.
The final sentence will be handed out on September 10, and in the meantime, fans pray for B.I. The former iKON member had also handed in a letter of apology to the court through his lawyers.
What did the apology letter from B.I to the court contain?
According to a report in Soompi, B.I in his apology letter had said:
"I admit to all of these charges and am self-reflecting."
B.I was investigated in September 2019 for a total of 14 hours on various charges by the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency. However, the ones that the 25-year-old K-Pop idol confessed to were using the drugs.
The initial investigation had marked B.I as a witness. However, after his confession, he was moved to the suspect list. His confession in 2019 led to his trial this year, and he also had to quit working as an idol. He left his band, iKON, after confessing to using drugs.
What did B.I's lawyer say in the first trial?
On behalf of the musician, his legal representative said:
"B.I admits to his mistakes and is deeply reflecting on himself, as well as on the fact that he caused a great disturbance as a public figure. During the time of the crime, B.I was only 19 years old."
The representative added:
"He made a mistake out of curiosity. Furthermore, B.I is a first-time defendant with no criminal or civil record, and he has carried out community service as well as nonprofit donations continuously since his debut. The album he recently released is also part of a project to donate all proceeds."
What did B.I say as the defendant in his first trial?
The Goyang-si, South Korea, native was also given a chance to express himself. He said:
"I made a completely foolish mistake in the past. I was young and naive, but even so, I was a foolish for what I did. I hurt my family. For a time, I thought that I no longer wanted to live."
He added:
"But through these recent events, I took the time to look around me and reflect on my past. I will never repeat a foolish mistake like this again. I will continue to reflect on myself. I want to protect those I cherish."
Fans react to news of prosecution's sentencing request on B.I's drug case
Many fans reacted by hoping for a better outcome in the final trial, where B.I will receive his final sentence from the judge.
Many blamed the informant who reported the rapper and gave a witness statement for what happened to the former idol. They even wished that the informant was punished instead.
The majority showed support for the star in the hope that he can return to work sometime in the future. B.I's freedom was something that many fans on Twitter commented on.
They indicated they were hoping the court would hand out the right sentence.
Members of iKON's fandom, iKONICS, also stated that they were proud of B.I for staying strong as he faced tough times. However, a few fans noted how the former idol was actually not bothered considering how he had shared notes about his upcoming concert on his social networking sites.
