A famous person’s presence in a gambling establishment is not usually newsworthy. While gambling is illegal in Korea, a few K-pop singers have gotten in trouble for disobeying the law. It’s no secret that K-pop is making waves around the world. Growing fan bases accompany rising fame, and these fans will stick by them through thick and bad.

The vast majority of nations are warming around to legalized gambling due to its many potential benefits. Globally, casinos add millions of dollars in tax revenue to local governments and employ thousands of people. Thanks to the thriving online betting business, people are now more likely than ever to play these games at WhereGamble.com. South Korea, meanwhile, continues to enforce its strict legal system.

Only at Kangwon Land, a special casino in South Korea, are citizens legally able to bet. Except for that one exemption, it is against the law for its nationals to wager on casino games elsewhere in the world. Why would any of these famous people risk their reputations this way? We may never know, but we do know that their controversial decisions have had a lasting impact on their careers and the opinions of their admirers.

Toby An

Tony An, a former member of the successful ’90s boy band H.O.T., was under scrutiny for gambling-related crimes between 2009 and 2012. He admitted placing bets through an illegal sports betting website. Beyond the judicial system, his sanctions included a two-year ban on his group’s songs and appearances on TV networks.

Shin Jung-Hwan

Hwan is a funny guy who used to be in the band Roo’Ra. In 2005, he was criticized for his gambling habit and failure to pay his bills. He was apprehended in the Philippines in 2010 for using the passport of another South Korean as security for a gambling debt.

He avoided legal trouble by checking himself into the hospital under the guise of having dengue fever. That was eventually proven to be false, severely damaging his reputation. After a while, he returned to face the charges against him and began serving an eight-month sentence.

Jung Jin-Woo

Woo was discovered gambling illegally in 2007, and he was fined for it. In 2011, he spent $3 million on sites and was later investigated for it. To protect himself, he tried to pin the blame on his stepfather. His stepfather filed an appeal, and he ended up paying another fee instead of going to jail for his crime. However, Woo was sentenced to a year in prison in 2014 for making illegal sports wagers.

Lee Soo-Geun

Popular Korean TV host and comedian Geun lost $370,000 on bets made between 2008 and 2011 on English Premier League and other international football matches. He received a year of probation and six months in jail after being found guilty. He was terminated from his position at automaker Bullsone and fined 7 million won for harming the company’s image.

Yoo Soo-Young

This Korean actress, also known as Shoo, was a member of the band S.E.S. in the ’90s. She holds dual citizenship (Japanese and American) but was prosecuted for illegal gambling in a foreign country.

From 2016 through 2018, she allegedly wagered a total of $702,000, leading to her arrest. She was also falsely accused of not repaying six million won to two creditors, but these claims were ultimately dismissed. Young was given a six-month prison term and two years of house arrest.

Cha Tae-Hyun

Hyun is an accomplished actor and vocalist who has acted in commercially successful films and popular television series. The two collaborated on the hit show “2 Days, 1 Night.” In 2019, police apprehended Hyun and others for placing monetary wagers on amicable golf matches in 2016. Hyun did not face any legal repercussions for the incident, but he did apologize and disappeared from public view for a year.

Kim Yong-Man

Kim Yong-Man, a popular Korean TV host and comedian, was recently arrested on charges of placing bets totaling nearly one billion won on online sportsbooks between 2008 and 2011. He admitted that he enjoyed gambling but had lost control of his habit. The man was found guilty of drug abuse in April 2013 and given an eight-month prison term and two years of probation. He stepped away from television for three years to focus on himself before returning.

Kim Joon-Ho

Ho is a musician and comedian involved in the gambling controversy that included his 2 Days and 1 Night co-star Cha Tae Hyun. He and Hyun were summoned in for questioning on April 11, 2019, for placing bets on a few rounds of golf, but both men maintain that the money was returned soon afterward. After being caught for the first time gambling in 2009, Ho decided to stay away from the spotlight after this latest scandal. His absence from broadcasting was brief, lasting only four months.

Betting Is Here to Stay

Gambling is illegal in South Korea but remains a popular activity among the general public and notable persons alike. Casino games appear to be here to stay, with punters either waiting in line to gamble legally at Kangwon Land or covertly using illicit online gambling sites.

To an outsider looking in, the repercussions for these celebrities may appear exaggerated in a society where gambling is so popular. Korean fans are notorious for their scathing criticism, regardless of how the rest of the world reacts. People in this culture look up to celebrities and expect them to act responsibly. K-pop performers have a standard to uphold even if the future may be more forgiving in terms of judgment.