A South Korean comedian, Lee Jin-ho, will face prosecution after a nearly $2 million borrowed blowout on gambling, which is illegal in South Korea. Jin-ho has admitted to borrowing cash to fund his illegal online gambling addiction, and has been sent to prosecution without being detained.
Jin-ho’s gambling habits came to light last year, after news broke that he’d stiffed Korean pop group BTS’ Jimin (Park Ji-min) nearly 100 million won ($70,233). Others he’d borrowed from include fellow Knowing Bros comedian Lee Su-geun, as well as singers Ha Sung-woon and Young Tak.
Jin-ho was also being investigated for loan scams, but this was dropped by police over a lack of actual testimonies. It’s estimated that through borrowing, Jin-ho would have accumulated around 1 billion won ($702,013).
Writing on social media in October 2024, during the investigation, Jin-ho admitted to online gambling:
“I started gambling on an online casino site in 2020, and it left me with an overwhelming amount of debt.
“As a public figure, I deeply regret my poor decisions and the damage they’ve caused. No matter what, I intend to repay all outstanding debts.”
During the investigation in October, he was reported to have just said, “I’m sorry.”
Gambling in South Korea is peculiar. While there are gambling spots, like casinos, they’re not available to Koreans, except for one. It’s part of the idea that it’s needed for tourism to the region.
Much like in Japan, horse racing and lotteries are also legal. Lotteries are available for everyone, with a recent incident causing havoc after duplicate tickets were sold.
Of course, online gambling is also not allowed, but as you can see, it isn’t hard to do it. There are various online casinos that deliberately cater to the Korean market, allowing for cryptocurrency payments to play anonymously.
South Korea is currently dealing with an influx of gambling problems, as online casinos become more prevalent in the country.
