Comedian Lee Jin-ho (39) has been transferred to the prosecution over allegations of illegal gambling.

On the 17th, Lee's agency SM C&C stated that Lee Jin-ho has recently been handed over to the prosecution on charges of illegal gambling.

According to police investigations, Lee Jin-ho is believed to have used hundreds of millions of won on illegal online gambling. It is also estimated that he borrowed a substantial amount, approximately 2.3 billion won, through loan sharks along with fellow celebrities, including BTS member Jimin.

Earlier, in October of last year, Lee Jin-ho publicly confessed to his issues with illegal gambling and the resulting debts.

At that time, he shared, "I began gambling on an illegal online betting site by chance in 2020, and I ended up with debts that I couldn't manage," expressing the difficulties caused by gambling addiction.

Lee mentioned that he stopped gambling due to the advice of friends and fear that his entertainment career would be jeopardized, but explained that he had already received financial help from many people.

He stated, "I am consistently repaying the money every month and intend to pay off this debt with my own efforts until I die," showing his determination to repay his debts.

Additionally, he expressed remorse, saying, "I sincerely apologize to many who must have been disappointed by my creating social controversy and being preoccupied with hiding it," and conveyed his commitment to fully cooperate with the police investigation and pay the consequences for his actions.

Meanwhile, Lee Jin-ho debuted as a comedian in 2005 through SBS's 7th special recruitment and gained popularity with the "Wungi's Father" segment.

Since then, Lee Jin-ho has been actively involved in a variety of segments on tvN's "Comedy Big League," including "Game of Thrones," "2018 Gungye," "Family Chaos Center," "Gangster PD: Kwak Cheol-yong," and "The Boss is Crazy."

Image source: Lee Jin-ho / News1, facebook 'bangtan.official'