Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Lottery winner who went broke in just eight months under probe for theft
Winning the lottery sounds great, but be careful what you wish for. gettyimagesbank
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
The winner of a 1.9 billion won ($1.6 million) lottery lost all the money in just eight months and is now under investigation for alleged theft.
According to Busan Yeonje Police Station Monday, the man, 39, is being investigated for allegedly stealing 36 million won from 16 restaurants in Busan and Daegu over the past two years.
Investigators found that the man boasted of having won the lottery to a taxi driver. Based on that information, they identified the suspect, who was already put behind bars for extortion and other offenses.
According to police, he won the lottery (1.4 billion won after tax) in 2006. But after wasting the money on partying and gambling, he went broke in eight months.
A year later, he was arrested for stealing from a jewelry store and was eventually sentenced to a year in prison.
Police said he has since been in and out of prison for various crimes, mostly theft.
“Winning the lottery could have been a turning point for him, but he blew it,” a police officer reportedly said. “I hope he will live a new life after finishing his sentence this time.”