Throughout this year, many Hallyu fans -- especially those who follow K-pop -- have kept their attention on Choi Seung Hyun, better known as T.O.P. The K-pop idol of Big Bang found himself the center of news when it was revealed he was smoking marijuana, something that is illegal in South Korea.

As time went by, more information about T.O.P.'s marijuana scandal was revealed, including the woman he was with, Han Seo Hee, while smoking and his sudden overdose on tranquilizers in which he was rushed to the hospital unconscious.

Eventually, T.O.P. went to court for all he was accused of.

He admitted guilt to all charges and his sentence was a 10-month prison term with 2-year probation.

T.O.P. admits to his guilt, apologizes for his actions, and is passed judgment

During his trial, T.O.P. admitted to the charges lodged against him by the prosecutors' office in terms of illegal substance usage. He also used his appearance in court as a means to apologize to everyone who was affected by his actions, mostly his family, friends, and his workmates in K-pop.

According to his apology, T.O.P. was suffering from depression. His drug usage all happened in a span of one week. He also said that he will accept any punishment he is subjected to as he cannot undo what he has done in the past saying it is "the worst moment of his life."

T.O.P.'s defense lawyer also confirmed that Han Seo Hee, the aforementioned woman who was with him at the time, was a trainee.

They were intoxicated when they took marijuana. The lawyer also stressed that after they broke up, T.O.P. stopped taking the drug.

Will T.O.P.'s marijuana scandal have any after-affects to his career?

More than likely, T.O.P.'s career will be affected in some way now that he's been found guilty of marijuana usage even after accepting the punishment he was handed and apologizing for his transgressions.

Let's say he follows his probation for two years and doesn't go to prison for ten months. He will still be chastised as it is the culture of the Korean people.

All one has to do is look at the situation with Park Bom, better known as Bom formerly of K-pop girl group 2NE1, to see what might possibly happen to T.O.P.

Back in 2014, Bom was in a drug scandal herself pertaining to amphetamines. In such a case, many would think she was taking meth. However, she was caught taking a medical amphetamine called Sudafed. Still, in South Korea, all forms of amphetamines are illegal.

The entertainment rags in South Korea hyped up Park Bom's use of amphetamines as something majorly illegal by calling it a meth scandal. Even after both her and her entertainment label YG Entertainment tried to explain the situation, Koreans were still unforgiving.

Eventually, the aftermath of Bom's meth scandal caused 2NE1 to go into haitus. Bom herself would go into reflection for two years. Ultimately, 2NE1 was disbanded and Bom was let go from YG Entertainment.

As mentioned earlier, Bom's situation might apply to T.O.P. However, T.O.P. is recognized as a more popular K-pop idol than Bom. Also, boy bands tend to have a lot more popularity than girl groups given the fact the majority of them are female. They may be more willing to forgive T.O.P. than they were of Bom.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED