"Lim Changyong on Gambling Fund Fraud Charges: 'Never Get Involved in Gambling'"

"It's Better Not to Know From the Start... I've Reflected Deeply"

Former professional baseball player Lim Changyong (50) reflected on his past controversies caused by gambling and urged junior players and fans not to gamble.

Former professional baseball player Changyong Lim, who was indicted on fraud charges and received a reduced sentence in the appeal trial, confessed the harms of gambling and apologized to the public. YouTube screenshot

Lim Changyong recently expressed regret over his past on his YouTube channel 'Changyong Invincible,' explaining that due to gambling, he was unable to return to the baseball world or do anything for the past seven to eight years. He said, "That single word, gambling, made things extremely difficult for me," and added, "Whether at the baseball stadium or on the field, honestly, I couldn’t face people."

He shared how he was first introduced to gambling: "At first, I really didn’t even know how to gamble, but somehow I ended up winning a lot," and admitted, "I earned money too easily. That’s probably why I got a bit hooked." Lim Changyong emphasized, "I think the reason people get addicted to gambling is because dopamine reaches its peak. I believe it’s best not to get involved with it from the very beginning."

He said, "Once you’ve experienced it, anyone can start thinking about it again. If someone has extremely strong self-control, it might be fine, but not many people have that level of restraint. It’s better not to know that feeling at all from the start."

When asked whether athletes are at greater risk of falling into gambling, he replied, "Since we live in a world of competition, there’s a tendency to want to prove ourselves or compete in everything."

Lim Changyong also blamed himself for not being able to work in the baseball world for a long time because of his past actions, saying, "It wasn’t worth it, but in that brief moment I failed to endure—I feel very disappointed in myself." Finally, he lowered his head and said, "I have truly reflected a lot over a long period of time. From now on, I will never gamble again, and I sincerely hope that none of you do either."

In December 2019, Lim Changyong was indicted on charges of borrowing around 80 million won in casino gambling funds from an acquaintance in Manila, Philippines, and failing to repay it. Initially, the amount in the first trial totaled more than 150 million won, but during the subsequent proceedings it was changed to reflect that 70 million won had been repaid. In the first trial, he was sentenced to eight months in prison, but on July 23, the sentence was reduced in the appeal trial to eight months in prison with three years of probation. The appellate court stated, "Given that the defendant admitted all charges in this court, repaid 70 million won of the total damages, additionally deposited 40 million won as criminal compensation, and that the victim lent the money knowing it would be used for gambling, the original sentence is unduly harsh and unjust."

The video was reportedly filmed and produced before the verdict was issued. It was released immediately after the sentencing to avoid unnecessary influence on the judicial judgment and trial process.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.