South Korean Comedian Admits To Illegal Gambling

South Korean comedian Lee Jin-ho is in hot water after revealing on Monday that he had illegally gambled, breaking the country’s laws and losing thousands of dollars in the process.

The 38-year-old’s confession on Instagram included borrowing money from friends and family, reportedly including 100 million won ($74,000 USD) from Jimin of the K-pop band BTS. Those funds have not yet been repaid and some reports indicate he may have borrowed money from other celebrities as well.

The comedian expressed regret for the debts and decided to confess publicly rather than see his gambling debt revealed by the media first.

“I started playing games on illegal gambling sites on the Internet by chance in 2020, and I took on a debt that was too much to handle,” he said. “I promise to repay the debt left to me no matter what. I would also like to bow my head and apologize to many of you who would have been disappointed by me, who caused a social stir and was in a hurry to hide it. I will also faithfully receive the police investigation and pay for my fault.”

“I will fully cooperate with the police investigation and accept the consequences of my actions,” he added. “It was the harsh advice from those close to me and the fear of losing the work I love that finally made me stop gambling. However, by then, I had already received financial help from many people. I am steadily repaying the debt each month and intend to fully pay it off on my own, even if it takes the rest of my life.”

Television Appearances Canceled

Lee, who has more than 10 million followers on social media, is a popular entertainment figure and regularly appeared on the variety show Knowing Bros on Korean television. He has since been dropped from the show, however, after the gambling issues came to light. The show even took measures to cut Lee from the broadcast.

“Lee Jin Ho will leave the program starting with this week’s recording,” South Korean network JTBC noted in a statement. “We will edit out as much of his previously filmed content as possible.”

Along with that program, Lee was also part of the new Netflix show Comedy Revenge. He missed a scheduled Monday press conference to promote the debut.

“We are deeply disappointed to learn about this just a day before the show’s premiere,” Netflix noted. The company also noted that he would remain in the show. “Because the program is structured around team competitions, fully editing out specific teams presents significant challenges to the narrative. We ask for your understanding.”