Disclaimer: Obviously, this is just my opinion, and I do not hold jurisdiction over how one should respond to the news that has emerged. Your life is your life, your emotions are your emotions, and your response is, inevitably, your response. What I will ask, however, is that you really, genuinely think of the things you say to others surrounding this issue and the views you present; such is the gravity of the scandal that many people have been affected directly and in a removed, more emotive sense.

Logging on to AFF today, the first thing I noticed was the string of posts on the feed about Seungri; people citing that this is such a sad day for kpop or that they are shocked and devestated by what has occured. Seungri, a name that has been on the tip of kpop fans' tongues for years, has been accused of supplying es in his Burning Sun club in Gangnam. Texts from 2015 have emerged implicating him, and several other idols, of conducting such behaviour. Included amidst the charges is the statement that a date drug (GHB) was also used on women who entered the club - not only distributed via unattended drinks, but directly from the bartenders themselves. Responses from fans and mere spectators alike have been variously aimed; some instantly take Seungri as guilty, others instantly believe his innocence.

To truly highlight the extremity of the situation, I want to let you all know a little about the drug GHB. This drug is a central-nervous system depressant often referred to as a "club-drug" or "date" drug. Positive effects of the drug include euphoria, increased drive and tranquility; negative effects (present when the drug is taken in larger quantities) include sweating, loss of consciousness, nausea, hallucinations, amnesia and falling into a coma. Anonymous reports from women who claim to have had this drug used on them at Seungri's club reported falling unconscious and waking the next morning with very little memory; on initial consumption, they felt intoxicated to a high degree, before becoming incapacitated. 

If these charges are true, if Seungri did supply these drugs, he is not only guilty of enabling ion, but he has had a direct involvement in the resultant of various victims. Whether he was the or not isn't entirely the question - the main point is whether he enabled it or profitted from it. As one can easily deduce, this crime is one that cannot have moral justification. There is no moral reason one can present behind doing this to innocent victims. 

Seungri has released a statement and stepped down from BIGBANG, retiring to protect the band and their agency. Already, however, YG's shares have reportedly fallen by 14% in the past few days. This scandal will proliferate throughout the entire company; not only will Seungri's reputation be damaged, but that of the agency and his immediate band members. BIGBANG have never been absent from scandal; with what happened T.O.P in previous years especially, the percieved corruption of the group is something seemingly commonplace in our knowledge. If Seungri is charged, if he is shown to be guilty, the band will be devestated. 

It is easy for us to instantly take sides on the matter; die-hard fans who have followed Seungri for years are quick to defend him. Others are instantly believing his guilt. Gone are the notions of "innocent until proven guilty" when the figurehead is a public idol - and when there are several involved (including zico), we become very polarised. I am leaning towards the belief that Seungri is guilty. It is an opinion I cannot shake. Others will lean towards the opposite. That being the case, however, we have moral responsibilities when it comes to how we present our thoughts. I already urge you not to so valiantly fight for a certain camp on twitter or other outlets, particularly the camp of him being innocent, because we do not yet know for certain. We do not hold all the facts; the evidence we are aware of is, right now, flimsy. As far as I know, one of the primary sets of evidence that has emerged - the journalist's exposition of a group chat involving Seungri wherein he discusses the ion of several women - can very, very easily be fabricated; it was presented on a spreadsheet, which could easily be handmade, and shown via various kakaotalk screenshots, which can also be created fictitiously. When requesting for the original messages, the police were informed that Kakaotalk, like various other messaging services such as Snapchat, automatically deletes the records of the messages after three days; the only way the messages can truly be proven as Seungri's own are if the device he used to send them in the first instance is handed in. This may happen, there may be a legal requirement for it to - but this device may not even necessarily exist anymore.

What we do have is the testimonies of several victims. This is what sways me. People argue how these women have not come forward in the past - how they have not at some point went to the police and tried to find justice. Those of you who argue this clearly have no idea just how difficult, life-altering and intimidating it can be to speak about these situations, no idea at all. under any circumstance is extraordinarily traumatising; to come forward and admit "I was " has the potential of changing your life. Some may not believe you; others may blame you; family may view you differently; you may be forced to reiew events you want to bury in the back of your mind forever... Trust me when I tell you it is not, and never will be, an easy thing to admit. It becomes all the more difficult when one of the men involved is such a preedominant and powerful public figure. It becomes all the more difficult when you are intoxicated, incapacitated, and are working with faint memories. It becomes all the more difficult when you possess no evidence but your own testimony. There is a great deal of shame, hurt, despair, trauma, emotional dysphoria, paranoia and confusion that accompanies severe ual assault and/or . Trying to work through that can be like trying to chip through concrete with a small nail file. If this really, truly happened, imagine the absolute pain these women will feel as they have to watch fans rush to defend their idol, call them out as liars, fakers, fabricators. You have no idea how that feels if you haven't been in such a situation - to have an event that may have changed your life for the worse inscribed as being fake by those who just don't know the truth, by those who want to align themselves with the cuddly vision of the idol they have supported for years. In many ways, jumping straight to defending Seungri's innocence is selfish; this is no longer about you and about what you once believed and still want to. This is about the truth, about justice, whether that be for Seungri or for the potential victims.

Admittedly, for a slew of reasons and past experiences of my own, I am biased against Seungri - though not because of who he is (I always have loved BIGBANG's music, I even own one of their singles). I will not share why I am biased, as I am not yet ready to speak about it; but in this manner I know the victim mentality. I may never be ready to speak about it, as will many of those affected by this scandal. 

In short, reserve judgement, review your own conduct, and try not to jump too firmly to conclusions. Whether Seungri is guilty or not is a matter for the court to decide - not us. Our role is to be respectful and considerate of the evidence that emerges.