Breaking silence over drug allegations, G-Dragon appears for questioning

Singer shows up voluntarily for police questioning, denies illegal drug use

Kwon Ji-yong, more widely known as G-Dragon of K-pop group Big Bang, speaks to reporters before he enters the Incheon Metropolitan Police building for questioning over alleged drug use, Monday. (Yonhap)

Breaking his silence since rumors began emerging nearly two weeks ago, Kwon Ji-yong, more widely known as G-Dragon of K-pop boy band Big Bang, showed up before police on Monday afternoon for questioning over alleged illegal drug use.

The 35-year-old singer and rapper arrived at the Incheon Metropolitan Police building at around 1:20 p.m. to undergo an interrogation and drug test conducted by the drug crime investigation unit.

“I have no relation to drug-related crimes. That is why (I came today) to prove (the truth). … Rather than talking too much (before police questioning), I will go through the police investigation,” the singer told a group of reporters before entering the police building, flatly denying any drug use allegations. He also said he had neither dyed nor bleached his hair to deter a drug detection test, since drugs may be lost from the hair matrix through cosmetic treatment.

When asked whether police were carrying out the investigation forcefully, he replied, “We’ll have to see.”

Apart from the probe, police planned to conduct urine and hair drug tests later in the day and send the samples to National Forensic Services for thorough analysis to detect if he has taken drugs recently.

Police have not yet revealed specifics on the types of drugs G-Dragon is suspected of using, nor when or where he is alleged to have used them.

Police also plan to look into the singer’s relationship with a doctor who is under investigation for supplying him with drugs through a hostess at an escort bar in Seoul’s Gangnam, and want Kwon’s mobile phone to be temporarily submitted to examine his call record history.

Drug allegations concerning Kwon broke out late last month after police said he had been booked for alleged drug use and banned from leaving the country.

Meanwhile, the K-pop idol has denied all drug use allegations, vowing that he would sincerely cooperate with the probe and take legal action against false rumors.

“Firstly, I’ve never taken drugs. I also want to make it clear that I have nothing to do with recent news reports (that I’ve breached) the Narcotics Control Act,” he said in a statement distributed through his attorney on Oct. 27, referring to the recent case.

“But as many people are concerned, I will actively and sincerely cooperate with the investigation,” the statement continued.

His lawyer has also warned of the strongest possible measures against defamatory reports that could cause damage to the singer.

Kwon was previously connected to a drug scandal in 2011, where he admitted using marijuana at a club in Japan but said he was unaware of the substance he had accepted and consumed. Prosecutors later dropped the case.

By Park Jun-hee(junheee@heraldcorp.com)