Comedian Lee Jin-ho, what is going on???

Jimin lent him 100 million won and said he didn't think he'd be able to pay it back, so he told him to just pay it back within 10 years...

What the world is going on;;;; It seems like they caused financial losses to several celebrities through illegal gambling;;;

As Lee Jin-ho owes hundreds of millions of won in debt through illegal gambling, it has been confirmed that BTS's Jimin, Lee Soo-geun, and others were tricked into lending money to Lee Jin-ho, causing damage. He not only borrowed money from his fellow celebrities, but also used private loan sharks, making matters worse. Some celebrities decided to sue Lee Jin-ho for fraud and request seizure of his appearance fees after he demanded emergency money from even his celebrity acquaintances. As soon as our newspaper asked his agency, SM C&C, about the financial losses suffered by celebrities due to Lee Jin-ho's illegal gambling, Lee Jin-ho suddenly released a statement in an attempt to avoid legal punishment. He also suddenly changed his position and decided not to attend the production conference for Netflix's 'Comedy Revenge' scheduled for 11 AM today.

◆BTS Jimin 100 million won damage

According to a Ten Asia report on the 14th, BTS' Jimin, Young Tak, Lee Soo Geun, and others were fooled by Lee Jin Ho's lies and lent him hundreds of millions of won. It was confirmed that some of the celebrities who trusted Lee Jin Ho and lent him money without even using a promissory note are in danger of being hit with a tax bomb by the tax authorities for the reason that it was a "gift" rather than a "loan."

BTS's Jimin was also a victim. According to our magazine's direct confirmation with Hive, Lee Jin-ho approached BTS's Jimin in 2022 and borrowed 100 million won, saying he needed the money urgently and would only use it for a week. He wrote a promissory note at the time, but Lee Jin-ho did not pay it. According to our magazine's investigation, Jimin essentially saw that Lee Jin-ho had no intention of paying back the money and showed mercy, saying, "Pay back within 10 years." However, Lee Jin-ho's misdeeds have spread to other celebrities.

In particular, he tried to borrow money from the Knowing Brothers cast members that he appeared on. Lee Soo-geun is a representative victim. Lee Soo-geun suffered damages of at least tens of millions of won. In particular, Lee Jin-ho borrowed money by selling Lee Soo-geun's name to people around Lee Soo-geun. Due to this problem, Lee Soo-geun suffered considerable material and mental damage, such as having to pay off an acquaintance's money instead of Lee Jin-ho.

Singer Ha Sung-woon was also a victim. It was even confirmed that he borrowed money from executives, producers, and writers of some broadcasting companies and did not pay it back. The scale of the damage is expected to continue to increase.

◆The agency knew but turned a blind eye

SM C&C, Lee Jin-ho's agency, was aware of this problem. There were cases where debtors contacted the company and demanded that he pay back his debts. However, the agency virtually turned a blind eye to this. And it even allowed him to appear in the Netflix series 'Comedy Revenge'. It is clear that they were negligent in their management despite knowing that the damage to the celebrity would spread in all directions.

When our newspaper asked SM C&C to confirm the facts regarding this issue on the morning of the 14th, the agency did not give a statement and instead cut off contact. After that, Lee Jin-ho suddenly uploaded a statement on his SNS in an attempt to draw sympathy. In particular, in his statement, he claimed that he had paid back the money, but it was difficult to find a case where celebrities who suffered large losses, such as BTS's Jimin and Lee Soo-geun, actually received their money back. Since it is important to determine whether someone had the intention to pay back the money if they are sued for fraud, in other words, whether there was deception, it seems that he made this claim in an attempt to avoid legal punishment.

Photo = Ten Asia DB

Lee Jin-ho wrote on social media, "In 2020, I started gambling on an illegal internet gambling site by chance, and ended up taking on a lot of debt that was difficult to handle. I was able to come to my senses and quit gambling later on thanks to the stinging advice from acquaintances and the fear that I might not be able to do this thing I love, but I had already received financial help from many people." He continued, "I have been paying off the money steadily every month, and I plan to pay off this debt with my own strength until the day I die. The financial loss was a loss, but more than anything, I felt so sorry to those who believed in me and lent me money. Whenever I got a call from an unknown number, my heart raced because I thought it was a call about debt, and every day felt like I was being beaten up in fear of when this would become known to the world."

Lee Jin-ho said, "I thought that if I confessed everything and was punished, I would at least be able to escape this anxiety, but I thought that I could pay off my debt at least a little by working, so I couldn't make that choice easily. I'm so embarrassed and sorry. As a celebrity who appears on TV, I truly regret the past days that I forgot my duty and ruined due to a momentary wrong judgment. Even if I can't be a good person who can be an example to others, I will at least live my life diligently so that I won't be someone who is pointed at by others." He also added, "Lastly, I promise to pay off the debt that remains with me no matter what. I bow my head and apologize to the many people who were disappointed in me for causing a social controversy and then trying to hide it. I will also faithfully undergo the police investigation and pay the price for my wrongdoings."

Lee Jin-ho was scheduled to attend the production conference for the Netflix variety show 'Comedy Revenge' on this day, but suddenly announced that he would not attend.