Comedian Lee Jin-ho appears before police amid gambling scandal

[Anchor]

Comedian Lee Jin-ho, who recently revealed that he was involved in illegal gambling and had incurred a large debt, appeared at the police station today (10.22).

It is reported that the amount of money Lee borrowed from fellow celebrities, including BTS's Jimin, is around 1 billion won.

The police plan to investigate Lee's habitual gambling charges as well as fraud allegations.

Choi Hye-rim reports.

[Report]

Comedian Lee Jin-ho enters the police station with a stern expression.

[Lee Jin-ho/Comedian: "Please say a word to your fans." I'm sorry. (Do you have anything to say to the victimized celebrities?) I will sincerely undergo the investigation. I'm sorry."]

On Oct. 14, Lee posted on his SNS that he had engaged in illegal gambling.

He mentioned that he started online illegal gambling in 2020 and ended up with debts that were hard to manage.

The debt Lee owes to acquaintances is approximately 1 billion won.

It is also reported that he borrowed about 1.3 billion won from loan companies.

Among the victims who were defrauded by Lee are fellow celebrities such as BTS's Jimin and comedian Lee Soo-geun, as well as broadcasting station officials.

Eight days after his gambling confession, Lee was summoned by the police and underwent about three hours of questioning before returning home.

The investigation into Lee began with a public petition requesting an investigation into habitual gambling and fraud allegations.

The police have registered Lee on habitual gambling charges and are investigating the circumstances and frequency of his gambling.

They also plan to look into whether there are fraud allegations regarding the debts owed to those around him.

This is KBS News, Choi Hye-rim.