Top trot star Tae Jin-ah denies gambling report

South Korean trot singer Tae Jin-ah cries during a press conference regarding rumors about illegal gambling overseas in Seoul Tuesday. (Yonhap)

Veteran South Korean trot singer Tae Jin-ah, 61, is finding himself embroiled in a gambling scandal allegedly involving hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Tae denied the accusations in Seoul Tuesday at a press conference days after a local media outlet, Sisa Journal USA, reported he had gambled a large amount of money in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, according to Yonhap.

“I only visited [the casinos] while vacationing in America with my family,” he said, in tears. “I did not bet hundreds and thousands of dollars. I feel falsely accused.”

Sisa, a Korean-language weekly magazine, reported the singer had bet more than a thousand dollars at a time.

Tae said he called the conference to clear misunderstandings and to reveal evidence, including a phone call with Paul Song, the general manager of a Los Angeles casino.

“That one-week vacation was a dream to my family. I used to be envious of other families who vacationed together back when I used to live in America. In celebration of my birthday, we gambled a small amount for fun,” Tae said.

Kwon Chang-bup, his attorney, said the singer had gone on vacation to the U.S. from Feb. 15 to 22 and participated in casino games while there. Tae made $7,000 from four casino visits, a far cry from the accused six-figure amount, he said.

Kwon said they plan to take legal action against Sisa.