Fallen Pop Idol Starts Military Service

Ex-Big Bang member Seungri began his mandatory military service on Monday.

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The disgraced K-pop brat entered a military base in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province after his career was essentially ended by allegations of pimping, appalling treatment of women and running a thoroughly disreputable nightclub.

He will first undergo five weeks of grueling basic training and, unlike many of his fellow pop stars, will not be sitting out the rest of his stint in a cushy entertainment division.

Throngs of reporters converged in front of the military base, but Seungri remained mum. There were no fans to send him off.

Seungri has been charged with procuring prostitutes for potential investors in his swish nightclub in Gangnam, Burning Sun, which was allegedly a hotbed of drug peddling and sex abuse. He left Big Bang and announced his retirement from show business.

Seungri enlisted after a yearlong postponement amid the police investigation, which also involved his implication in an online chat group where fellow celebrities shared clandestinely filmed sex tapes.

He now faces the charges in a court-martial. Earlier, the Military Manpower Administration said it would cooperate with police to "ensure a consistent and fair trial".