TV-show host Sin Jeong-hwan, 35, reportedly lied about his coming down with dengue fever to cover up his gambling in Cebu, the Philippines, and is seeking to fly to another country to escape from heated media attention.
The popular singer and entertainer had claimed that he had been hospitalized for treatment for the disease, denying allegations that he lost hundreds of millions of won at a casino and borrowed money after putting his passport up as collateral.
However, staffers of an SBS TV entertainment program, which aired on Thursday, met a doctor from the hospital in Cebu and quoted him as saying that Sin had no symptoms of dengue fever.
The doctor said Sin just checked in to take a rest on Tuesday. The report came just hours after Sin posted a photograph and a long letter on his fan club website, showing him taking a medical checkup.
He claimed that his visit to a casino was just sightseeing and did not get involved in any form of betting.
Sin, who was discharged from the hospital on Friday, is believed to be either staying in a hotel in Cebu or has left for a third country. An aide to Sin told a local media outlet Sunday that Sin expressed hope that he would go to another country rather than returning home.
The aide, who paid a visit to Sin at a hotel in Cebu, originally planned to return to Seoul with him on the weekend.
But Sin changed his mind after a series of negative reports on him, he said.
"Sin expressed that he wanted to take a rest at a third country. He checked out of the hotel and disappeared", the aide was quoted as saying.
Sin left for the Philippines on Aug. 26 and has cut off communication with his agency for a while. He did not appear for the scheduled filming of some programs.
This is not the first time that the singer-entertainer has become embroiled in gambling-related troubles. Sin received a 7-million-won fine for gambling at a private casino in 2005 and was banned from broadcasting, but returned to the entertainment business after some "self-reflection".
source: koreatimes.co.kr
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