(AsiaGameHub) –   A dispute has broken out in South Korea following a senior coast guard officer’s visit to an illegal gambling establishment, after which he received what some called a “promotion.”

According to the South Korean media outlet MBN, the unnamed officer was the chief of a substation in the Gunsan Coast Guard when he was apprehended for gambling in an illegal betting venue last August.

During a raid on the den, detectives arrested the officer. In court, the officer claimed innocence, stating to the judges: “I didn’t know I was in a gambling den.”

The court found his defense unconvincing and convicted him of illegal gambling. Nonetheless, unnamed commentators described his sentence as “a mere slap on the wrist.”

Controversy in South Korea: Gambler ‘Promoted’

The judges imposed a fine of 1 million won ($664) on the officer, which is the minimum penalty for the crime.

The Coast Guard did not suspend the officer from his duties while awaiting the court’s final ruling.

Soon after, as part of a standard staff reorganization, Gunsan officials appointed the officer to be a section chief in a police station’s intelligence department.

Residents on local Gunsan online forums voiced their concern, arguing it was unjust for a public official facing a gambling charge to be given a senior criminal intelligence role so quickly.

Some asserted that the move was effectively a “promotion.”

A spokesperson for the Gunsan Coast Guard station stated: “With his many years of prior experience at a police substation, [the officer] has extensive knowledge of local intelligence. We therefore initially considered him suitable for the position.”

However, after a wave of critical posts emerged on anonymous forums, Gunsan authorities took action.

The spokesperson confirmed that the so-called promotion has been revoked. The officer has been moved to a lower-ranking role in a different department, the spokesperson added.

The officer involved declined to provide a statement on the issue, the media outlet reported.

Crackdown Continues

South Korean police have intensified their efforts against illegal betting operations this year. In a recent incident in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, police confronted a man in his 60s after a dispute during gambling.

The man allegedly had a fierce argument with other individuals during an illegal betting game in the Punggi area.

In a rage, he pursued them with an unloaded air pistol and fired it towards them.

After causing panic, he fled to his home, with police in pursuit. Upon their arrival, he used the weapon to injure himself.

He survived the incident but sustained a major injury, as later verified by a hospital.