'I will not make the same mistake again': Comedian Lee Jin-ho's suspended sentence finalized

The suspended prison sentence handed down to comedian Lee Jin-ho on charges of habitual illegal gambling and drunk driving has been finalized.

According to legal officials Thursday, neither Lee nor prosecutors filed an appeal with the court by the Tuesday deadline. Under Korean criminal procedure, a party seeking to contest a first-instance ruling must file an appeal within seven days of the sentencing date.

Earlier, the Suwon District Court's Yeoju branch, in a ruling handed down by Judge Ahn Tae-yoon of the first criminal division on Sept. 1, sentenced Lee to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years. The court also ordered him to complete 120 hours of community service.

Lee was indicted on charges of habitually engaging in illegal gambling after transferring more than 870 million won ($649,000) to gambling websites in 664 separate transactions between May 11, 2023, and Oct. 14, 2024. He exchanged the funds for cyber currency, which he used to gamble.

A charge of drunk driving was also added, after Lee drove about 70 kilometers on Sept. 24, 2025, with a blood alcohol level of 0.12 percent.

At the final hearing on Aug. 14, prosecutors sought a two-year prison sentence for Lee. At the time, Lee said, "I have lived each day in regret since committing this wrongdoing. I will not make the same mistake again."