Ravi leaves VIXX amid military service evasion trial

nme.com:

VIXX rapper Ravi has left the K-pop boyband following his trial for alleged evasion of military service.In January 2023, a South Korean broker claimed that he had helped an idol rapper falsify an epilepsy diagnosis to attain an IV grade in his health evaluation for military service, allowing him to receive an exemption from active duty.In the same month, Ravi was identified by prosecutors as a possible client of the broker, per The Korea Times.

Following the news reports, Ravi’s agency GROOVL1N said that it was “closely examining the truth about the situation”. The rapper reportedly admitted to the charges in March.According to Chosun Ilbo, Ravi attended his trial for charges of violating the Military Service Act on the morning of April 11.

During the trial, prosecutors requested a two-year prison sentence for the idol. Ravi’s final sentencing will be announced at a later date.Later that day, Jellyfish Entertainment released a brief statement announcing Ravi’s withdrawal from VIXX after a series of discussions with the agency.

Ravi also shared a statement on his Instagram account, where he confirmed his departure from the group and personally addressed the situation.In the post, Ravi wrote that he had been “desperate” to delay his military service as he was the only artist in his self-founded label GROOVL1N generating a profit.