Seungri Net Worth

What Is Seungri Net Worth’ Net Worth?

As of 2024, Seungri’s net worth is estimated to be around $25 million. This valuation is based on his income derived from various ventures, including his career as a singer-songwriter, actor, and businessman.

Seungri’s Early Career and Rise to Fame

Lee Seung-hyun, born on December 12, 1990, in Gwangju, South Korea, rose to prominence as Seungri, the youngest member of the K-pop boy band Big Bang. The group debuted in 2006 and became one of the most influential acts in the Korean Wave. Big Bang achieved significant commercial success, selling over 140 million records worldwide. Their success was not immediate. Their first album, “Big Bang Vol.1” (2006), had a lukewarm reception. However, they then released hit singles like “Lies”, which topped Korean music charts for a record-breaking six consecutive weeks and won Song of the Year at the 2007 Mnet Km Music Festival and the 2008 Seoul Music Awards.

In 2015, at the peak of their career, Big Bang earned $44 million in pretax earnings, surpassing Maroon 5, who earned $33.5 million. In 2016, their M.A.D.E tour sold 910,000 tickets for 18 concerts in Japan. This is in comparison to Taylor Swift, who sold almost 2.3 million tickets, and One Direction, who sold 2.4 million for 83 and 85 shows respectively in the same year.

Seungri’s Solo Music Career

Seungri also pursued a solo career, releasing his debut solo studio album, “V.V.I.P,” in 2011. It reached #1 in Korea and sold 48,682 copies. His 2013 album, “Let’s Talk About Love,” also reached #1 in Korea, selling 79,222 copies. The recording of “Let’s Talk About Love” took over two years, where he also involved himself with the production of the album. In October 2013, he released his first Japanese album, selling over 14,000 copies in its first day and topping the Oricon Charts.

Key highlights from his solo music endeavors include:

“V.V.I.P” (2011): Peaked at number one on the Gaon Chart, with singles “VVIP” and “What Can I Do?”.
“Let’s Talk About Love” (2013): Also reached number one on the Gaon Chart, supported by the single “Gotta Talk to You”.
“The Great Seungri” (2018): His first studio album. It sold 47,375 copies in Korea and 24,666 copies in Japan.

Seungri’s Acting and Variety Show Appearances

Besides his music career, Seungri ventured into acting, appearing in television series such as “Angel Eyes” (2014). He also made appearances in various variety shows, including “Family Outing”, “Running Man”, and “Infinite Challenge”. In 2016, he starred in the Japanese movie, High & Low: The Movie (2016), playing the son of a Korean mob boss. The film grossed ¥668.3 million. He also recorded the song “We Run Dis” with PKCZ for the soundtrack. In August 2016, he started filming for his first Chinese film Bonjour L’amour (also titled Love Only), which was released on March 2, 2018.

Seungri’s Business Ventures

Seungri expanded his career into various business ventures, demonstrating his entrepreneurial skills. These included:

Yuri Holdings: Seungri had a company name for all his investments under YURI HOLDINGS.
Nightclubs and Bars: He opened his private bar called Monkey Museum night club in Changsha, Hunan, China in partnership with Luk Hing Entertainment. He was an executive at Burning Sun, a nightclub in Gangnam, Seoul. He invested ₩10 million (around US$8,800) in Burning Sun for marketing purposes. In October and November 2017, Jun Won Corporation invested around ₩1.2 billion (approximately $1,077,810), Madam Lin invested ₩1 billion (approximately $879,845), and Seungri invested ₩225 million (approximately $197,965). Yuri Holdings owned 20% shares in Burning Sun. The club opened at the Le Méridien Seoul hotel on February 23, 2018, and closed on February 17, 2019.
Restaurants: In December 2016, he launched a Japanese ramen restaurant franchise called Aori Ramen in Seoul. During 2017, the franchise expanded throughout Asia, and in November, he announced that he would open the 15th branch in Kuala Lumpur. He also started a café business, purchasing a license for traditional Belgian waffles, and opened a waffle café And Here at Daehangno.
Record Label: He founded a record label Natural High Record alongside other DJs.
Cosmetics: In early 2017, he invested in the medical cosmetic brand Dr. Gloderm, acquiring 10% of the cosmetic company’s shares.
Dance Academy: In 2011, Seungri opened his first vocal and dance academy Joy Dance – Plug In Music Academy in his hometown Gwangju, South Jeolla Province. He now owns five different academies around Korea, including in Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, and Mokpo.

In 2016, Seungri also founded BC Holdings in Hong Kong with Yoo In Suk, investing ₩15,000 (approximately $13) each. They purchased a Korean ready-made concrete company and invested in several Vietnamese businesses. The National Tax Service investigated how BC Holdings raised ₩30 billion in funds.

Earnings and Royalties

While it’s challenging to pinpoint specific income figures for each of Seungri’s activities, some insights can be gleaned. For example, G-Dragon, another member of Big Bang, reportedly received US$700,000 a year in songwriting royalties. Seungri mentioned that his total income was a hundredth of what G-Dragon makes. In 2011, Big Bang-related sales reached ₩33.6 billion, accounting for more than 75% of YG Entertainment’s sales, which posted ₩44.7 billion.

Seungri also acquired various endorsements during his time in Big Bang and as a solo artist, including endorsements with Fila and Tinder. In 2018, it was announced that Seungri had his first solo endorsement photo shoot for a dating app. Larger versions of Seungri’s Tinder ads were displayed in Gangnam and Suseo stations.

Controversies and Legal Issues

In 2019, Seungri retired from the entertainment industry due to his involvement in the Burning Sun scandal. He faced several charges, including procuring sex services, prostitution mediation, embezzlement of business funds, and violation of the Food Sanitation Act. Police sought an arrest warrant for Seungri in allegations he procured prostitutes for potential investors in his business and misappropriated funds of nightclub Burning Sun.

In 2020, he was convicted on multiple charges. On June 25, the police stated that his case had been forwarded to prosecution with seven charges: procuring sex service, prostitution mediation, embezzlement of business funds for hiring a legal representative, embezzlement of club Burning Sun revenues, attempt at destruction of evidence, distribution of illegally-filmed content via social platforms, and violation of the Food Sanitation Act.

Seungri’s trial began on September 16, 2020, during his mandatory military service in South Korea, where he denied 7 of the 8 charges against him. On August 12, 2021, a military court condemned Seungri to three years in prison and a punishment of ₩1.15 billion (US$970,000). On January 27, 2022, his prison sentence was reduced to 18 months. On May 26, 2022, his sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court of Korea. On February 9, 2023, Seungri was released from prison.