SUPERNOVA's Agency Apologizes For Yoon Hak And Sungje's Overseas Gambling

SUPERNOVA’s Yoon Hak and Sungje were revealed to have illegally gambled abroad.

On September 14, MBC’s “Newsdesk” reported that two SUPERNOVA members had been indicted on suspicions of gambling abroad. According to the program, the two members visited a casino in the Philippines and played baccarat one to two times between 2016 and 2018.

According to the police, the amount they bet ranged from 7 million won (approximately $5,900) to 50 million won (approximately $42,400). “Newsdesk” also reported that one of the two members had also gambled through an illegal Korean online gambling site.

The two members were called in for police questioning the previous week. They admitted to most of the suspicions but also clarified that the purpose of their trip to the Philippines was not gambling and that they ended up gambling coincidentally. In regards to this, the police stated, “The investigations are currently ongoing, so we cannot reveal the details of the case.” The police are also looking into the possibility of other celebrities’ involvement in overseas gambling. None of the other SUPERNOVA members are being investigated by the police.

On September 15, SUPERNOVA’s agency SV Entertainment released a statement and confirmed that the two members in question were Yoon Hak and Sungje.

Read the full statement below:

We apologize for worrying fans with unpleasant news due to the careless actions of our agency’s SUPERNOVA members Yoon Hak and Sungje.

Yoon Hak and Sungje are deeply regretting and reflecting on themselves for thinking lightly of [gambling] and behaving carelessly during their trip.

Through this incident, we have once again realized that a public figure should behave responsibly and be cautious about every action. Moving forward, we will always think carefully and act responsibly. We apologize once more.

It was also reported that the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency’s Metropolitan/Provincial Special Detective Division had found reason to suspect involvement of organized crime gangs in the case, and SV Entertainment stated, “It is unrelated. It was something that was discovered while [the police] were investigating a different case.”

SUPERNOVA debuted in 2007 under Maroo Entertainment in Korea. In 2018, following the members’ return from the military, the group changed its name from Korean to its current name in English (SUPERNOVA) and resumed promoting actively in Japan.

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