Tony Ahn Investigated for Illegal Gambling

Following the news of comedian Lee Su Geun and singer-actor Tak Jae Hoon being summoned for investigation on charges of illegal gambling, singer Tony Ahn (H.O.T) has also been reportedly called in for questioning.

According to the report, Tony Ahn was recently brought in for interrogation on charges of illegal gambling at the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office.

Following Tak Jae Hoon being charged last month, Lee Su Geun was summoned for questioning on November 10. The two have each been accused of gambling several hundred millions of Korean won (at least 100,000 USD). According to the prosecution, they were reported to have placed bets ranging from several hundred thousand won to several million won on foreign sports games such as the English Premiere League.

A representative from cable channel QTV’s “20th Century Handsome Boys” that Tony Ahn appears on said that results of the investigation have not been released and that they will be keeping an eye on the development of the case. “We have recorded enough material for two weeks, and will be airing as scheduled. We will not further edit the material that we’ve recorded. It is true that there is an investigation going on, but we are being very careful since the results have not been released.”

Tony Ahn recently received attention for his split with Girl’s Day’s Hyeri. They shared an age difference of 16 years. His agency also revealed that he has stepped down as the CEO of School Store, a restaurant chain, as of September this year, but it had not been officially announced it until now. The agency added that it was not related to the singer’s current charges of illegal gambling. “Tony Ahn was summoned for questioning by the prosecutor’s office last week, and is currently confining himself at home.”

School Store’s side said, “Tony Ahn has already stepped down from his position as CEO of ‘School Store’ and has also given up his company shares. He cited being unable to focus on training his juniors and concentrate on his entertainment business as reasons for being unable to continue with his role here. He has officially distanced himself from ‘School Store’ as of last month.”

The prosecution also revealed that aside from Lee Su Geun, Tak Jae Hoon and Tony Ahn, there are more celebrities who have yet to be named.

As more and more celebrities join the ranks of those who have been marred by the stain of illegal gambling, the internet is buzzing with comments from netizens, who are disturbed that the people they see on television are different from their real-life selves. Some feel that these celebrities who have committed illegal gambling crimes should not be allowed to appear on broadcasts.

Previously, TV personality Kim Yong Man had been charged with earning a sizeable amount via a private betting site, and had been prosecuted without detention. He earned himself an eight-month prison sentence with a stay of execution for 2 years, and 120 hours of community service. Under further investigation of the operator of the site that Kim Yong Man had used, the prosecution managed to find evidence against more celebrities involved, including the ones named above.

Source (1), (2), (3)