Actor Han So-hee’s mother has been arrested for running illegal gambling houses, police said Tuesday.

Han’s mother, identified only as being in her 50s and having the surname Shin, is charged with operating illegal gambling houses at 12 locations, including Ulsan and Wonju in Gangwon, from 2021 to late last month, local cable broadcaster TV Chosun initially reported Monday.


9Ato Entertainment, Han's agency, gave a statement regarding Shin's arrest, stating that the news is "about an extremely personal matter," and that Han also learned about the arrest "through articles and is at a loss for words to express her devastated feelings."

"We would like to reiterate that this incident is entirely the arbitrary action of the mother, and has nothing to do with the actor," said the agency.


Shin has reportedly been accused of other criminal activities in the past. She faced allegations of fraud in 2020 when a netizen accused her of absconding with money from a savings club.

At that time, Han stated that she had been raised by her maternal grandmother since the age of five after her parents divorced.


“I wasn’t on speaking terms with my mother, and I only learned of her debt when I was 20 years old,” Han said. “Since she was the daughter of my grandmother who raised me, and partly due to filial duty, I paid off as much of her debt as I could before I debuted [as an actor].”

Han faced further scrutiny in 2022 when a YouTube channel alleged that Shin had committed fraud by taking out a loan of 85 million won ($63,400) from an acquaintance using a bank account in Han’s name and not repaying it.

“[Han’s] mother Shin used a bank account in Han’s name to borrow money,” 9Ato Entertainment said at the time. “The account was opened arbitrarily by Shin when Han was a minor. She used it to take out loans without Han’s knowledge.”


The agency also stated that Han had no plans to repay her mother’s debts, emphasizing that the decision was made to prevent Shin from “using her daughter’s name to borrow money and exploiting the fact that her daughter is a famous celebrity for financial gain.”

Update, Sept.3: Added statement from Han's agency.



BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]