Fallen Showbiz Impresario Questioned on Gambling Charges

Published on 2019/08/30 | Source

Former YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk talks to reporters at a police station in Seoul on Thursday.

Yang Hyun-suk, the founder of showbiz giant YG Entertainment, was questiond by police on Thursday on charges of illegal gambling abroad.

According to the police, Yang borrowed thousands of U.S. dollars in Las Vegas to gamble with and paid them back from his Korean accounts once he came back. That could warrant a charge of violating foreign exchange laws.

His suspected partner in crime, Seungri, an ex-member of boy band Big Bang, admitted to illegal gambling charges the day before.

The case will turn on the source of the money. If Yang used money from his company to gamble, he could also be charged with embezzlement.

Korea punishes gambling by its nationals even in countries where that is perfectly legal. Police sometimes choose to make an example of high-profile figures, but ordinary tourists who gamble a little pocket money in a casino abroad are rarely inconvenienced.

In a separate case, Yang is accused of pimping.