Two Members of Group Supernova (Choshinseong) Booked for 'Overseas Gambling'... Police Expand Investigation

Supernova group members Yoonhak (left) and Sungje [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The police are expanding their investigation into an illegal overseas gambling case involving members of the idol group Supernova (formerly known as Choshinseong).

On the 15th, the Metropolitan Investigation Unit of the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency announced that they have booked Supernova members Yoonhak (real name Jung Yoonhak, 36) and Sungje (real name Kim Sungje, 34) on gambling charges and are currently investigating.

The police have particularly detected signs that violent gang members are involved in this case and are conducting investigations accordingly.

In addition, the police are verifying whether other entertainers, besides the two Supernova members already booked, are involved in overseas gambling. However, it is known that no other Supernova members are currently under police investigation.

Yoonhak and Sungje are suspected of gambling at a casino in the Philippines from 2016 to 2018. It has been investigated that they placed bets ranging from 7 million to 50 million KRW and played baccarat one to two times.

The two members are also suspected of gambling on illegal online gambling sites operated by Koreans, in addition to the Philippines.

Last week, the police summoned the two for questioning about the gambling circumstances. They reportedly stated to the police that "We did not go to the Philippines to gamble" and "We gambled there by chance."

The police plan to secure the custody of gambling operators and others soon to investigate the exact details of the case.

A police official said, "Since the investigation is ongoing, we cannot disclose specific details of the case."

Supernova, consisting of six members, debuted in 2007 under the name Choshinseong and gained great popularity about ten years ago by entering the Japanese market and ranking high on the local Oricon charts. Yoonhak and Sungje are also active as actors in both Korea and Japan.

Meanwhile, the agency SV Entertainment issued an official statement apologizing, saying, "We sincerely apologize to the fans who have supported us for the unfortunate news caused by the careless actions of Supernova members Yoonhak and Sungje, who belong to our company."

They continued, "Yoonhak and Sungje deeply regret and reflect on their careless actions due to a complacent mindset during their trip," adding, "They will think carefully and act responsibly in the future. We apologize once again."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.