Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- Yoo Soo-young, a member of S.E.S which was active in the 1990s as South Korea's first-generation K-pop girl band, took punishment gladly for terminating her temptation to gamble after she received a suspended prison term for habitual gambling.

A criminal court in Seoul sentenced the singer, known professionally as Shoo, to six months in prison with a stay of execution for two years. She also received an 80-hour community service order. She debuted in 1997 and got married after her group disbanded in 2003.

"I started with curiosity, but it was terrible and embarrassing to see my appearance changing gradually," Yoo told reporters as she walked out of a courtroom. "I could not escape myself. I was able to get out of this swamp through punishment and social rebuke."

A money lender was slapped with a fine of five million won for aiding gambling. Two others received suspended jail terms. Yoo was indicted in December last year for gambling in Macau and other casinos abroad from August 2016 to May 2018. Her total betting money was estimated at 790 million won ($701,600).

An investigation began on complaints from private lenders that Yoo did not pay a combined debt of 600 million won after losing borrowed money at a foreigner-only casino at a Seoul hotel. She allegedly visited the casino using her foreign nationality. She was born in Yokohama, Japan. Her father is Korean and her mother is Japanese.

The case triggered great public attention as it was the first gambling case involving a K-pop girl band member who once enjoyed high popularity. South Korea has about 20 casinos with only one open to locals. Gambling is basically illegal in South Korea.