S.E.S' Shoo Ordered By Court To Pay Back Over 340 Million Won Of Gambling Debt

S.E.S’ Shoo has lost a civil suit and been ordered to return a large sum of money that she borrowed for gambling.

In May of last year, a plaintiff referred to as “Park” filed a civil suit against Shoo, whom they had initially met at a casino in Las Vegas in 2017. Park lent large amounts of money to her for gambling, but she did not pay them back.

On May 27, the first trial was held for the case, in which Park demanded Shoo pay back 346 million won (approximately $280,000). The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff.

Shoo had argued that since Park had lent her the money for illegal gambling, this was considered “performance for illegal cause” according to the Civil Act, which would mean that the plaintiff could not demand that she return the money. “Performance for illegal cause” involves the granting of property or services for an illegal cause.

However, the court ruled that Shoo must pay back the full amount that Park has demanded. The reason for this is that Shoo, who was born in Japan, is a Special Permanent Resident of that country.

The court explained, “According to the Tourism Promotion Act of the Paradise Casino Walkerhill where Shoo gambled using the money from Park, entrance is permitted to foreigners and emigrants to overseas.” They added, “Since Shoo is a Special Permanent Resident of Japan, her act of gambling, unlike usual acts of gambling, is not subject to criminal punishment.”

Paradise Casino Walkerhill is located in Seoul and is the largest foreign-exclusive casino in the country. Almost all casinos in South Korea admit only foreign visitors, as Korean citizens are banned from gambling at most casinos. Koreans can also face prosecution if they are found to have gambled abroad.

Last year, Shoo was sentenced on charges of compulsive gambling, after having gambled 790 million won (approximately $638,000) during 36 visits to overseas casinos in places such as Macao from August 2016 to May 2018. Charges for fraud and domestic gambling were dismissed. She was given a sentence of two years of probation, with the possibility of a six-month prison sentence if she commits a repeated offense during her probation period, and 80 hours of community service.

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