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CNBLUE’s Jung Yong-hwa indicted for illicit grad school admission

March 2, 2018

SEOUL, March 2 (Yonhap) — Jung Yong-hwa, the main vocalist of the pop rock band CNBLUE, will stand trial for suspected illegal admission to a graduate school program without due process, police said Friday.

Jung and five others have been referred to the prosecution on recommendation that they be charged with obstruction of business without detention, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Among them include school staff members, a professor and Cho Kyu-man, a well-known singer-songwriter.

Jung, 29, is accused of being admitted to a doctorate course at Kyung Hee University in 2017 even though he never came to the interview. Police suspect that both Jung and Cho scored the highest marks on their admission tests without being interviewed, a process required for admission.

Police suspect that Jung’s pursuit of study was an intent to delay his mandatory military service. The timing of the application for the graduate course coincides with the time when his agency announced the postponement of his enlistment, police said.

Jung has apparently claimed during police investigation that as a singer, he wanted to get an academic degree in music.

Police said they have found no evidence connecting them to possible exchanges of bribes.

In February, June’s agency issued an apology to the public in the wake of the controversy. Jung quit a television show after the incident and apologized on his Instagram account for “causing trouble.”

Jung’s management agency immediately issued a statement in protest of the probe results.

“Regarding the results of the police probe into Jung’s case, we are saddened by the fact that there are distorted parts,” FNC Entertainment said in a statement. “We’re going to explain in detail about some of the distorted parts in the judicial process.”

Meanwhile, the singer is set to hold his last series of concerts before going to the Army at a gym of Seoul’s Korea University on Friday and Saturday. The concerts will remain unaffected by the police probe, according to the FNC.

He will enter a boot camp in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, on Monday for five weeks of basic training and serve out the rest of his mandatory duty as an active-duty soldier.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men have to fulfill military duty for around two years.

Singers Jung Yong-wha of CNBLUE (L) and Cho Kyu-man are shown in the composite photo filed Jan. 17, 2018. (Yonhap)Singers Jung Yong-wha of CNBLUE (L) and Cho Kyu-man are shown in the composite photo filed Jan. 17, 2018. (Yonhap)

elly@yna.co.kr