On December 25, the Wonju Branch of the Chuncheon District Court sentenced Han So-hee’s mother, Ms. Shin, to one year in prison, suspended for two years, along with 120 hours of community service for management of illegal gambling dens.
Despite being fined in 2021 for similar offences, Ms Shin operated 7 gaming parlors between January 2022 and August 2023 in cities including Wonju, Ulsan and Gyeongju. These rooms allowed customers to participate in online gambling games such as baccarat, often in partnership with card room operators.
The court highlighted the significant financial gains from the operations but considered his lack of previous similar convictions and time spent in custody when issuing the suspended sentence. However, prosecutors appealed, calling the sentence too lenient.
This is not Ms. Shin’s first controversy. In 2020, she was accused of embezzling funds from private savings groups, causing a “debt scandal.” Han So-hee explained at the time: “My parents divorced when I was five and I was raised by my grandmother. Being his daughter, I repaid his debts to the best of my ability before debuting. In 2021, Ms. Shin had already been fined 5 million won for violating the Game Industry Promotion Act. In 2022, Ms. Shin faced a lawsuit for failing to repay the 85 million won she borrowed in 2018, using a bank account in Han So-hee’s name without her knowledge.
Han So-hee’s agency, 9ato Entertainment, expressed its regret over the situation, stressing that the matter is entirely personal and has nothing to do with the actress, who learned about it through news reports .
