With less than a month to go until the South Korean elections, gambling is becoming a hot topic, with candidates accusing one another of wrongdoing and the President weighing in with comments.
Earlier this month, election campaigning in South Jeolla Province and Gwangju descended into a gambling-themed war of words.
During a TV debate, a candidate accused Kim Dae-jung, the province’s incumbent superintendent, of “loitering around a gambling den” during a business trip.
Kim has since admitted to visiting a casino at the hotel where he was staying during a work-related event. But Kim denied gambling at the casino.
Rival candidates have called Kim’s claims “counterintuitive.” And Kim’s representatives say his rivals are running a “smear campaign” ahead of the June 3 poll.
South Korean Elections: Casino Allegations Continue
As the election nears, one of the leading rivals has called for a public inquiry. The rival, Lee Jeong-seon, said Kim should “clarify the allegations” through a “joint fact-finding investigation.”
“We ask Kim to come forward and have a public debate on this matter,” said a spokesperson for Lee Jeong-seon’s campaign, per the South Korean media outlet News1. “If Kim has nothing to hide, there is absolutely no reason to avoid it. If he rejects or avoids our proposal, we will consider it an attempt to cover up the allegations.”
Kim’s camp refuted the allegations in a statement. “[My rivals] continue to frame me as an illegal gambler,” the superintendent said. “As I have already said, I remember visiting a hotel casino, but I did not engage in illegal gambling. I cannot even play go-stop [a popular Korean low-stakes gambling game].”
Kim’s spokespeople called on his rivals to stop “constantly raising suspicions” and instead “present evidence.”
“If they cannot provide any evidence, they should apologize,” said Kim.
Gambling Convicts Named
Gambling-related controversies are not the sole preserve of the South Jeolla Province and Gwangju education superintendency contest.
Elsewhere in the country, media outlets have been following up on an earlier report that disclosed scores of convicted criminals are standing for election on June 3. Their number includes several people with convictions for habitual gambling.
While the original report did not name any of these individuals, the national broadcaster MBC has unmasked many of them in a recent news report.
Their number includes Choi Eun-sik, a candidate for the Okcheon County Council and a member of the main opposition People Power Party.
Choi reportedly has been convicted of two gambling offenses, as well as two counts of drunk driving, driving without a license, and an assault charge.
The People Power Party’s Chungju City Council candidate Shim Jae-ik, meanwhile, reportedly has seven convictions, including a gambling-related conviction.
Another named individual standing for election with a gambling conviction is the People Power Party candidate Lee Jae-myung in Jincheon.
President Issues Another Gambling Warning
While he refrained from speaking about candidates’ gambling convictions or casino-related allegations, President Lee Jae-myung also made gambling-related comments in a recent social media post.
“[Illegal] money lending and gambling are signs of national ruin,” the President wrote, as reported by the South Korean newspaper Seoul Kyungjae.
The comments echo the President’s sentiments from late last year, when he warned that a rise in gambling could “lead to the downfall” of the country.
Politicians in South Korea are obliged to tread a fine line when it comes to gambling regulation. The country has been raking in bumper tax revenues from casinos in holiday destinations such as Jeju Island.
Jeju-based casino operator Lotte Tour Development recently posted record-breaking quarterly results as foreign tourists flock to the island in growing numbers.
