February 5, 2009 (InfoPowa News) — Kang Byung-kyu, a baseball player-turned-television celebrity in Korea, has received a suspended jail term for gambling through online gambling sites.
The Korea Times updated the story this week with the news that the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Kang (36) to a two-year suspended prison term and 160 hours of community service.
Prosecutors told the court that Kang illegally bet large amounts on games on Internet sites broadcasting baccarat live from a gambling house in the Philippines. "He visited one of the sites 500 times,'' the court was informed.
The court took a lenient view since Kang was the only victim of the losses, had no criminal record, and had acknowledged wrongdoing.
Kang was indicted but not detained on charges of betting 2.6 billion won ($1.8 million) from October 2007 to last May, losing 1.2 billion won.