G-Dragon [10Asia]

Big Bang member G-Dragon's agency YG Entertainment has apologized for the singer's illegal use of drugs.

A statement issued by YG on Wednesday afternoon said they "deeply apologize" for G-Dragon smoking marijuana which resulted in a suspended indictment.

"As a celebrity highly popular with the public and being his agency which should be managing him strictly, we are all sorry and repenting for not being more careful," YG said.

"We bow our heads in apology to all of you for whom we have caused concern and we will do our best not to let this ever happen again."

Earlier in the day, news got out that the 23-year-old got caught for smoking marijuana at a club in Japan and that the singer himself confessed to inhaling the drug.

YG's statement explained the situation in more detail, saying that G-Dragon got investigated by prosecutors on charges of smoking marijuana around July.

However, he engaged in the investigation with confidence since he had not smoked the drug yet "became hugely shocked" when he tested positive, with results showing that a trace of marijuana was found in his hair, said YG.

After wondering how he tested positive, he came to remember that when he was in Japan in May for a concert, he drank with several Japanese officials and while at a bathroom, a fan, suspected to be his fan, passed him a cigarette.

G-Dragon accepted the cigarette out of goodwill but after smoking two or three drags, felt that it was different from normal cigarettes and immediately threw it into the urinal, which he explained to prosecutors as being the possible reason for him testing positive.

"He had not really remembered it at first because he regarded it as an insignificant incident which occurred in passing," YG explained.

Accordingly, prosecutors did not indict the singer immediately in consideration of various factors including the fact that he did not smoke the drug on purpose and that the amount he smoked was under punishable levels.

YG ended the statement by saying, "There may have not been any additional legal penalty he got but we believe that both G-Dragon and the agency have been handed a responsibility and guilt which is greater than any other penalty."

G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-young, is the leader of his highly popular five-member boy band who were discovered and trained by YG Entertainment.

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Jessica Kim jesskim@
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