S.E.S.'s Shoo directly addressed the reasons behind her gambling.
On October 10, Shoo and her husband, Lim Hyo Sung, released a video titled "The Controversial Incident... I'll Share Everything Today (First Reveal)" on their YouTube channel. The production team explained, "We had uploaded Episode 0 previously, but it was taken down due to our carelessness. We have now carefully revised it and are re-releasing it."
In the video, Shoo opened up about why she gambled. Between August 2016 and May 2018, she was accused of gambling multiple times overseas, including Macau, totalling approximately 700 million KRW (approx. 490,176 USD). She was sentenced to six months in prison with a two-year probation.
Shoo explained, "I went to Las Vegas for an event and visited a place where they played card games. There, someone offered to lend me money if I called, and 100 million KRW came in cash in a taxi. I had never seen an environment like that before." She continued, "I started betting small amounts, but people around me were betting thousands at a time. When I won some money, the stakes got bigger. It was just like hell."
She added, "It's funny that I even had hope there. I didn't think about losing, I only thought I could win. I also went to Hong Kong, but I didn't know Macau was like Las Vegas. I got caught for violating the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act because I exchanged Hong Kong dollars in my account. But I didn't know I had to report it just because I was exchanging my own money."
Lim Hyo Sung also recalled Shoo's gambling incident.
He said, "We were already having troubles. I wanted to be apart from her, so I stayed away, but she called, saying she had debts. At the time, I felt completely helpless. I had retired from sports abruptly, and my earnings weren't enough, but I still had a lot I wanted to do. Out of inferiority, I went to places trying to do better. Back then, many people would call me just because I was someone's husband, and I thought they'd help me."
He continued, "While she got caught up in various temptations and I was taking care of the child, a call came from Shoo saying she had debt. She never mentioned it before, and she isn't the type to borrow money from others, but she owed 250 million KRW (approx. 175,074 USD). I said, 'Let me think for a day,' and managed to gather the money and gave her 280 million KRW (approx.196,135 USD) the next day." Shoo reflected, "After this incident, I learned a lot. Even when I did 80 hours of community service, I felt grateful."
Born in 1981, Shoo debuted as a member of the popular girl group S.E.S. in 1997. After S.E.S disbanded, she married former basketball player Lim Hyo Sung in April 2010 and had three children. She continued broadcasting and openly shared her family life, showing her down-to-earth charm. However, following gambling controversies and rumors of divorce and separation, she took a temporary break from the entertainment industry.
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