It’s just been reported that BIGBANG’s leader G-Dragon has been caught by authorities for smoking marijuana. "We indicted G-Dragon on the charges of smoking marijuana," said a representative for the Seoul police on October 5th.
According to investigators, G-Dragon had smoked marijuana sometime in the middle of May this year, and had taken a drug test in June. Although the results had come back negative with an initial urine test, further tests overturned that decision, and he had confessed at the time that he had been taking the drug at a Japanese club when he had visited the country for a concert.
G-Dragon said: "I smoked a cigarette that someone had given me at a club. The smell was somewhat different from that of a regular cigarette so I was slightly suspicious that it was marijuana, but it is true that I smoked it."
According to investigators, since the amount of marijuana was so small and G-Dragon had no prior offences, they decided to give him a warning.
D-1 After G-Dragon’s Marijuana Incident: The Madness Begins.
A day has passed for BIGBANG and G-Dragon fans, and the dust seems to have settled as news sources in Korea have finished off reporting about G-Dragon’s marijuana incident. So, what happens after a day passes by?
Exhibit #1 jiyongkwon.com
An individual has created a website “jiyongkwon.com” that is a collection of rumors and other information about G-Dragon’s marijuana incident.
It contains a post from an anonymous user on Naver in 2009 stating that she/he was invited to a party that had G-Dragon, and supposedly everybody there was smoking marijuana like cigarettes. It also contains a report by a researcher of drugs stating that “two puffs of marijuana does not give you a positive result in a test.”
It makes me shiver at the thought that this blog/website might turn into that message board demanding the truth from Tablo. (Basically, the message board that had cult-like members trying to prove that Tablo did not go to Stanford)
Exhibit #2 Taeyang’s Cryptic Twitter
On the 1st, Taeyang tweeted an enigmatic message that read, “I might act like I don’t know, but I know it all. I might act like I’m being fooled, but I’m just closing my eyes.” His senior SE7EN then replied, “What’s wrong? You and I should meet… Let’s meet up next week!”. Followed by 2NE1’s Minzy simple message, “Ditto”.
Taeyang’s message didn’t receive much attention at the time, but after the marijuana scandal broke out, netizens began to wonder if the message was directed towards his group leader, G-Dragon.
Netizens commented:
- “Is Taeyang covering for G-Dragon?”
- “It seems like Taeyang knows something”
- “I think there’s a hidden purpose in this message”
- “This has to be directed towards G-Dragon, right?”
Taeyang said: “Actually those tweets have nothing to do with Jiyong. I wrote down my thoughts regarding what’s happening in the world. I feel terrible for all misunderstandings.”
Exhibit #3 G-Dragon Shaving His Head
Netizens are beginning to question G-Dragon’s shaving his head in August. They are saying that he shaved his head because of the investigations by the prosecutor’s office for suspicion of smoking marijuana.
The prosecutor’s office gave an official response regarding the matter:
“The news that is being reported is incorrect. We tested G-Dragon for marijuana use in June not July. We didn’t know that he had shaved his head two months after. The case was already closed. One cannot say that he has shaved his head in order to prevent any more drug tests. We have no plans of pursuing the matter furthermore.”
Exhibit #4 Why Is the Penalty So Light? Why Did the News Come Out So Late?
G-Dragon received a “suspension for indictment” (Warning) some are saying that the penalty is too light. The prosecutor’s office did not give any more specific information regarding the matter.
Prosecutor Kim from the prosecutor’s office stated:
“In a case like this, it is common for a college student and first offender to receive the ‘suspension for indictment’ (Warning). The fact that he is a college student was a large factor in the decision. College students are penalized differently from older adults because harsher penalties might hinder their future.”
Another fact that is being brought up is that the news of G-Dragon’s investigation and “suspension for indictment” (Warning) has been released so late.
The prosecutor’s office stated:
“Because G-Dragon is a public figure, we could not easily give out the news. We think that rumors began to emerge after the incident happened, that is why we decided to release the information to the public.”
Korean netizens’ (not just fans) reactions to top 10 GD-related articles:
The three best replies for article #1:
3,904 agree, 241 disagree
Even if he didn’t know, marijuana is unacceptable because he’s G-Dragon (a celebrity)
3,184 agree, 477 disagree
Goodbye GD
I had a good image of you because of Infinity Challenge. How disappointing.
2,602 agree, 277 disagree
Taeyang: “I might act like I don’t know, but I know it all. I might act like I’m being fooled, but I’m just closing my eyes.”
2,651 agree, 427 disagree
Just because his indictment was suspended, he still used marjiauna. Shouldn’t he be banned from appearing on TV?
2,208 agree, 296 disagree
Life is one shot
2,028 agree, 346 disagree
*disappear* Dragon
484 agree, 73 disagree
It’s even more disappointing for me because I’m a fan. He’s horrible, isn’t he even apologetic to his family, label, and fans?
443 agree, 88 disagree
For KBS and MBC, you’re barred from entering no matter what if you’re caught using drugs. Are you watching? If he’s not banned, then YG definitely used money.
366 agree, 121 disagree
‘Tonight I smoked marijuana~’
G-Dragon Breaks His Silence Regarding Marijuana Scandal.
A lesser star than BIGBANG’s G-Dragon might have been jailed for smoking pot, but after he tested positive for marijuana use late 2011, the rapper offered up the likely excuse for toking up since Bill Clinton said he didn’t inhale; According to G-Dragon, he accepted what he thought was a “strong cigarette” from a stranger at an after-party, and was just too drunk to realize that it was actually a blunt.
After a long period of silence, BIGBANG’s leader G-Dragon opened up about his marijuana scandal during episode of SBS ’Healing Camp' on the February 20th. G-Dragon remarked:
“At the time, I took a urine drug test, as well as a hair follicle drug test. When I received the results, I was shocked and I felt like the results were unfair. I didn’t believe it at first, because I knew I didn’t do it, but the results stated otherwise. I didn’t know where things had started to go wrong.”
“There was something I felt that could have contributed to the results, and it was weighing on my heart so I talked about it during the investigation. After our concert in Japan (May 2011), we had an after-party where a lot people were in attendance. I think the fact that I received a cigarette from a stranger there became the source of the problem. That incident started to be closely investigated, and it just came out.”
”We hosted the party ourselves, and we were in a really good mood because the concert went really well. At that moment, I had a lot to drink, and my managers were doing their own thing, and I was alone. I went to the restroom, and someone offered me a cigarette. I thought it would be rude to refuse, so I accepted it without giving it a second thought.”
MC Lee Kyung Kyu asked: “Marijuana is different from cigarettes, is it not? Why were you unable to tell the difference?”
G-Dragon responded: “I was intoxicated from the alcohol, and I just figured it was a really strong cigarette. I never smelled [marijuana] before, so I couldn’t tell the difference. It looked like the cigarettes that I smoke.”
MC Lee Kyung Kyu asked: ”You’re not lying, are you?”
G-Dragon answered: “No, I’m not. It wouldn’t be possible for my lies to be believable, and if I was lying, I would never have been able to face the public.”
