Celebrity first-generation BJ Cheolgu (real name Lee Yejun, 36) admitted to overseas gambling trips and using illegal private loans and said he intends to turn himself in to police, fueling controversy.
On the 27th, through a broadcast on the real-time internet streaming platform "SOOP," Cheolgu said, "I will go to the police station at 8 a.m. on the 28th to turn myself in," and added, "Starting the year before last, I gambled in the Philippines on overseas trips and even used illegal private loans. I am truly sorry."
According to his account, the addiction was so severe that he blew about 1 billion won a week solely on gambling funds. When the funding squeeze hit its limit, he turned to illegal private loans from high-asset "big spenders," and, as he repeatedly borrowed elsewhere to cover the high interest in so-called "revolving repayments," he said the situation spiraled into ruin.
To make matters worse, a massive tax bill arrived and tangled the situation further. Cheolgu said, "In Nov. 2025, value-added taxes of about 6 billion won were assessed, and even my accounts were seized," adding, "As I kept trying to raise money to stop the seizure, the situation grew out of control."
He also said he received help from several BJs and acquaintances during this process. Cheolgu explained, "Kay lent me 2.3 billion won, and I repaid about 500–600 million won of that," adding, "Jjapgu also lent me 2 billion won, and I repaid about 500 million won. Inho also lent me money."
At the end, through an acquaintance's arrangement, he signed a deal with a listed company and was promised a lending of 2 billion won for one year without interest, but the money did not arrive on the final deposit date, on July 24. As a result, Cheolgu claims he ended up in a state of collapse where he could not even settle appearance fees for the female participants who appeared on his streaming content.
Cheolgu repeatedly apologized, saying, "It is true that I engaged in illegal overseas gambling trips and that I used illegal private loans," and added, "I will turn myself in to the police and accept punishment. Even if I serve prison time, I will repay the debt to the end no matter what."
Earlier, in 2019, when he was serving as a soldier, signs that he had gone on overseas gambling trips were detected, and he was disciplined by the military authorities. After completing his active reserve duty, when he returned in 2020 through AfreecaTV (now SOOP), a surge of users flocked to the platform, showing such impact that it even caused server paralysis.