FTISLAND drummer Choi Min-hwan is currently under police investigation after his ex-wife accused the star of patronising illegal adult entertainment establishments.
The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul, South Korea confirmed on October 25 that it has begun an internal investigation into Choi’s alleged activities, per The Straits Times. The allegations against Choi became public after his ex-wife Yulhee, a former member of K-pop girl group LABOUM, uploaded a video to her YouTube channel on October 24.
In the 37-minute-long video, Yulhee made claims that Choi is a frequent patron of prostitution establishments. She also shared alleged conversations between Choi and an unidentified person, appearing to be a brothel employee, recorded from July to August 2022.
After Yulhee’s video was uploaded and went viral in South Korea, an unnamed citizen went on to file a formal complaint to police against Choi and the anonymous employee for allegedly violating the Act on the Punishment of Arrangement of Commercial Sex Acts.
In response to Yulhee’s video, FNC Entertainment published a statement on October 25 formally apologising to the public on behalf of Choi for the allegations. In the same statement, the music label announced the halt of all Choi’s activities while investigations are ongoing.
Choi and Yulhee married in 2018 and bore three children, currently aged four to six. They later divorced in December 2023 for reasons not known to the public, which ended with Choi being awarded custody of all three children.
Aside from his musical endeavours with FTISLAND, Choi is also known as a reality television star on the Korean show The Return of Superman since 2013, alongside his children. In his appearances on the show, Choi is known to have discussed the challenges he has faced as a single father since his divorce.