Seungri [Yonhap]
Seungri [Yonhap]

GP Club, the company behind cosmetics brand JM Solution, has denied rumors linking it to former Big Bang member Seungri (real name Lee Seung-hyun) and the Burning Sun scandal.

The company posted an official statement on its social media accounts Monday, addressing claims circulating online that it was connected to Seungri and the Burning Sun case.

"We are sorry for the concern and confusion caused to our customers by the spread of false information on some social media platforms and online communities linking JM Solution to Lee Seung-hyun (Seungri) and the Burning Sun scandal," the statement began.

GP Club said it had established a subsidiary called JM Town after receiving a business proposal from Seungri's side, but that the venture was called off before it ever launched once the Burning Sun scandal broke. "The entity was dissolved and liquidated in 2019 without generating any actual business activity or sales," the company said.

It added that Seungri "has never invested in or held a stake in JM Solution, past or present, and has no business or financial relationship with the brand in connection with product planning, manufacturing, retail or sales."

GP Club said claims that "JM Solution is Lee Seung-hyun's company," that "Lee Seung-hyun is the owner of JM Solution," or that the cosmetics brand "was created with Burning Sun money" were "clearly false."

The company said it was taking a serious view of anyone who "repeatedly spreads false information or distorts the limited past facts by linking them to the current JM Solution," and warned it would pursue all necessary legal action against the malicious spread of misinformation.

"Even though the business did not move forward, we feel a deep sense of responsibility for the concern that our judgment at the time may have caused our business partners and consumers," GP Club said, adding that it would continue to respond responsibly to protect trust in its brand and products.

Seungri debuted as a Big Bang member in 2006 but announced his departure from the group and retirement from the entertainment industry in 2019 after being identified as a central figure in the Burning Sun scandal. He was later sentenced to one year and six months in prison on nine charges, including arranging prostitution and habitual gambling, and was released in February 2023 after serving his full term.

The Burning Sun scandal began with an assault at Burning Sun, a nightclub in Gangnam, Seoul, and snowballed into a sweeping controversy as allegations of drug distribution, sex crimes, tax evasion and collusion with police emerged simultaneously.


paq@heraldcorp.com