Comedian Lee Jin-ho referred to prosecution without detention over online gambling

Comedian Lee Jin-ho appears on a 2022 KBS2 variety program. Captured from KBS2

Comedian Lee Jin-ho, 38, who publicly admitted to illegal online gambling, has been referred to the prosecution without detention, police said Thursday.

According to the Seoul Gangnam Police Station, Lee was forwarded to prosecutors Tuesday on charges of habitual gambling, about six months after the investigation began.

Lee revealed in a post on social media last year that he had started gambling through an illegal online gaming site in 2020, which eventually left him with overwhelming debts.

“After difficult advice from friends and the fear of losing the job I love, I was finally able to stop gambling,” he wrote. “Though I’ve received financial help from many people, I’m steadily repaying the debt every month and promise to repay every last cent on my own — even if it takes a lifetime.”

Lee is known to have borrowed hundreds of millions of won from acquaintances, including fellow comedian Lee Soo-geun, BTS member Jimin and singer Young Tak, to fund his gambling.

The police launched a preliminary investigation after receiving a complaint through the national petition system and officially questioned Lee on Oct. 22. The fraud allegations related to borrowed money were ultimately dropped due to a lack of victim testimony.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.