Famous Singer Arrested In Gambling Scandal

A famous singer and entertainer’s career lies in ruins after having an arrest warrant issued on him for being involved in a gambling scandal.
Shin Jung-hwan, 37, is a big star back in his native South Korea but the TV regular is not new to controversy and back in 2005 had to resign from all his shows after he was caught gambling.
In South Korea gambling is mostly considered illegal and citizens are not permitted to gamble either at home or abroad. Nevertheless, after atoning for his illegal gambling Shin Jung-hwan was back on the air five months later having put the incident behind him.
Now, however, Jung-hwan is firmly back in hot water again after it was discovered the TV personality had travelled to the Philippines, where he took out a $180,000 loan which he procedeed to lose at various casinos.
The incident took place last year and on January 19th this year, Jung-hwan returned to South Korea after five months of hiding abroad and was promptly arrested at Gimpo Airport.
Jung-hwan had originally explained his absence from the country by saying he was suffering from Dengue fever and had consequently been hospitalized in the Philippines. However, his lie was soon discovered and he now faces three years in prison and a fine of up to 20 million won ($18,000). Commenting on the matter, a prosecutor said:
“The nature of his crime is very bad given his actions in hiding away and gambling away a large amount of money overseas.”
In the meantime, Shin Jung Hwan has had all his shows taken away from him and he is likely to remain off the television for a while to come. Making matters worse is the fact he will now find it increasingly difficult to pay off his gambling debt and fines.
Commenting on the gambling scandal, his company simply stated: “It’s a personal problem.”