B.I addresses drug scandal for the first time: “I was so young and stupid”

Soloist and former iKON member B.I has opened up about his 2019 drug scandal for the first time.

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In a recent interview with Billboard, the South Korean singer publicly spoke about his previous drug scandal for the first time. Allegations of B.I’s drug use first emerged in 2019, which resulted in the singer’s departure from iKON and YG Entertainment.

B.I’s case was active until its final hearing last September, during which the Seoul Central District court sentenced the K-pop idol to a four-year probation for his alleged purchase of marijuana and LSD in 2016.

“Many people expected a lot from me in 2016. To always do better was a very strong emotion that I felt at the time,” said B.I, who explained that he was not “mature enough” to cope with the pressure he experienced from himself and others shortly after debuting with iKON in 2015.

“In a moment of weakness, I thought maybe I could relieve that burden,” he told Billboard. “Even now, I regret that constantly. I shouldn’t have done it, but felt like I was in a corner, and I made the wrong decision. I was so young and stupid.”

The singer also spoke about the repercussions of his case being made public, describing as “the world crashing down”. He added: “It’s true that I had a victim mentality, because [the story] was a very big issue.”

“I’m trying to change people’s perception of me, not just by talking, but by my actions,” the singer continued. “One by one, I’m trying to persuade everyone I meet. I can’t say that’s definitely happening right now but I’m going to make sure that it does.”

Earlier this month, B.I teamed up with Soulja Boy to release the single ‘BTBT’ featuring DeVita. The song acts as a pre-release track to his forthcoming project, ‘Love Or Loved (LOL)’, which will also include two EPs.

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