‘Overseas Gambling’ S.E.S Shoo Loses Civil Lawsuit Over 300 Million Won Gambling Debt

On January 24 last year, Shoo (real name Yoo Soo-young), a former member of the group S.E.S., who was indicted without detention on charges of overseas gambling involving hundreds of millions of won, is heading to the courtroom to attend the first trial held at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office in Songpa-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Shoo (39, real name Yoo Soo-young), a former member of the group S.E.S who was indicted for overseas gambling involving hundreds of millions of won in places such as Macau and received a suspended sentence last year, has also lost a lawsuit over gambling debts exceeding one hundred million won.

On the 27th, the Civil Division 25 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Dong-wook) ruled in favor of the plaintiff Park in a loan repayment lawsuit against Shoo, ordering him to repay 346 million won plus delayed interest.

Park, who first met Shoo in Las Vegas, USA in 2017, lent gambling funds to Shoo at the Paradise Walkerhill Casino in Korea in June 2018 but did not receive repayment, leading him to file a lawsuit.

During the year-long trial, Shoo argued that Park actively encouraged gambling and taught him how to borrow gambling funds, thus abetting gambling.

Shoo claimed that since Park knew the money would be used for illegal gambling, the loan falls under unlawful cause payment under civil law, and therefore there is no obligation to repay.

However, the court did not accept Shoo’s defense.

The court explained, "Paradise Walkerhill Casino allows entry to foreigners and overseas migrants under the Tourism Promotion Act, and therefore Shoo, who holds a special permanent resident status, is not subject to criminal punishment for gambling there."

Shoo, born in Japan and holding special permanent residency, is permitted to enter and gamble at the casino, so his actions cannot be considered illegal.

Furthermore, the court judged that although Park lent gambling funds to Shoo and thereby encouraged gambling, this alone does not make Park’s act of lending money legally invalid as contrary to good morals or social order.

Shoo was sentenced last year to six months in prison with a two-year suspension and 80 hours of community service for habitual gambling totaling 790 million won over 26 occasions overseas, including Macau, from August 2016 to May 2018.