Appeals Trial Begins Again on Bumkey's Drug Trafficking Charges

The case against singer Bumkey (real name Kwon Ki Bum) continues, as the prosecutors appeared before the Seoul District Court of Appeals on the morning of December 23.

The prosecution continued to demand the sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a fine of 5.7 million won (approximately $4,874) despite the fact that Bumkey was acquitted of all charges in April. Initially, the appeals hearing was scheduled for August 26 of this year, but the prosecution’s key witnesses did not attend the hearing and the appeal was thus postponed.

At the appeals hearing, Bumkey’s lawyers stated, “The credibility of the witnesses is declining. You can see that the witnesses only accused Bumkey so that they would get their own leniency.” They then requested that the appeal be dismissed and that the acquittal stand.

In his final statement, Bumkey stated that he’s reflected a lot and realized many things in the last 15 months, and that he’s now focusing on his family and his work. “The last 15 months have been like a living hell,” he said. “I ask that [the courts] please bring this living hell to an end.”

Bumkey was first arrested and charged for drug trafficking in October 2014.

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