Yang Hyun-suk denies allegations of threatening trainee

Yang Hyun-suk, the former head of YG Entertainment, walks into the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul. [NEWS1]

Yang Hyun-suk, the former head of YG Entertainment, denied allegations that he threatened a former K-pop trainee who testified against a former YG member, during his trial Friday.

The trial was held at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul.

Singer-and-rapper B.I, a former member of boy band iKon, was sentenced in September to serve three years in prison for smoking marijuana and purchasing and using LSD in 2016, suspended for four years. B.I’s real name is Kim Han-bin.

According to the trainee, when she was questioned during the investigation on her own drug use in 2016, she mentioned B.I’s drug use. She then met with Yang after her first police questioning, and Yang threatened that he could “ruin her” but said he wouldn’t if she changed her testimony.

Yang’s legal representative said Yang did meet with the trainee, but did not coerce her or threaten her to give a false testimony. The court asked during the trial whether Yang agreed with the legal representative, and Yang said yes.

BY LEE SUN-MIN [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]