Actress Han So Hee's Mother Sentenced to Prison for Operating Multiple Gambling Dens

Actress Han So Hee's mother was sentenced to a suspended prison term for operating multiple illegal gambling establishments.

Judge Kim Do-hyung of Chuncheon District Court's Wonju Branch sentenced Han's mother to one year in prison with a two-year suspension.

The 55-year-old also has to complete 120 hours of community service, for charges related to the establishment of gambling venues.

Prosecutors had initially requested a prison sentence of one year and six months but have appealed the ruling, calling it "unduly lenient."

Han's mother had established seven gambling venues for profit between late January 2022 and late August 2023.

Gambling is mostly prohibited for South Koreans with exceptions for bets made at government-approved facilities.

"This case is entirely unrelated to the actress and stems from her mother's personal actions. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this private matter," said a statement released by Han's agency.

Prosecutors alleged that Han's mother coordinated the venues with members of an illegal gambling site through the messenger app Telegram.

The 55-year-old was able to obtain access to establish seven betting venues and collected commissions based on total wagers and user losses.

Han's mother also employed "frontmen" to manage adult PC game centers under profit-sharing deals and worked with existing operators to enable illegal online gambling.

Investigators revealed that as head of operations, she manned five venues in Wonju, one in Ulsan, and one in Gyeongju.

The court found that Han's mother continued the operation of the gambling sites even after having been fined 5 million won ($3,800) in 2023 for similar offenses.

"Although the exact profits she gained are not clearly detailed in the records, the structure of the operations and profit-sharing arrangements indicate that the amount is likely substantial," the court said.

Han's mother, who had been detained in September for her offenses, was released immediately following the suspended sentence ruling.

The appeals trial will proceed at the Chuncheon District Court.