Comedian Lee Jin-ho Confesses to Illegal Gambling, Apologizes for Financial Debt and Deception

South Korean comedian Lee Jin-ho has made a public confession regarding his involvement in illegal online gambling, which has led to significant financial debt and personal turmoil. On October 14, Lee Jin-ho posted a detailed statement on his Instagram, expressing deep regret and apology for his actions.

In his statement, Lee Jin-ho revealed that he started playing on an illegal online gambling site in 2020, which resulted in an unaffordable debt. Despite receiving harsh advice from friends and the fear of losing his career, he was unable to stop gambling until it was too late. By then, he had already received financial help from numerous individuals to manage his debt.

Lee Jin-ho is currently repaying the debt incrementally each month and has vowed to continue doing so until the debt is fully settled, even if it takes the rest of his life. He expressed profound sorrow for those who trusted him enough to lend money and acknowledged the constant anxiety and fear he felt about the situation being exposed publicly.

The comedian also admitted that he considered confessing and accepting punishment earlier but was hesitant due to the need to continue working to repay his debts. He described his actions as a result of poor judgment and a failure to uphold his responsibilities as a public figure.

In addition to his personal confession, it has been reported that BTS member Jimin was deceived by Lee Jin-ho and lent him 100 million won, which he lost due to Lee Jin-ho’s gambling activities. BIGHIT MUSIC has confirmed this incident, highlighting another layer of complexity in the situation.

Lee Jin-ho has promised to cooperate fully with the police investigation and accept the consequences of his wrongdoing. His absence from a production presentation for Netflix‘s “Comedy Revenge” on the 14th, due to this scandal, has also caused disruption to the program.