Comedian Lee Jin-ho has been formally sent to the prosecution on illegal gambling charges.

On April 17, the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul announced that Lee was forwarded without detention to the prosecution for habitual gambling. The investigation began about six months ago after a tip-off was filed through the Korean National Petition System. However, fraud allegations involving loan scams were dropped due to a lack of victim testimony.

Back in October 2023, Lee publicly admitted to gambling via social media.

"I started gambling on an online casino site in 2020, and it left me with an overwhelming amount of debt," he wrote.

He also reached out to celebrities for financial help—including BTS's Jimin, entertainer Lee Soo-geun, and singer Young Tak—borrowing around 1 billion KRW in total. He reportedly borrowed additional funds from TV executives, producers, and writers.

Lee expressed deep remorse:

"The financial damage is one thing, but I'm most sorry to the people who trusted me enough to lend me money. I promise to repay every cent, no matter what it takes."

He also apologized during a police investigation in October last year, where he appeared as a suspect. When asked by reporters why he became involved in illegal gambling, he simply stated, "I'm sorry."