Internet broadcaster BJ Cheolgu [Screen capture from Soup broadcast]
Internet broadcaster BJ Cheolgu [Screen capture from Soup broadcast]

Cheolgu (real name Lee Ye-jun), 36, a prominent internet broadcaster who was sued after allegedly failing to repay 6 billion won ($4.52 million) borrowed from acquaintances following a high-stakes overseas gambling spree, has said he intends to return to streaming.

Cheolgu appeared on the YouTube channel "Gray News," published Friday, and said he was "sorry for causing harm — or something like harm — to those around me, and sorry and apologetic to the creditors who lent me money."

On the question of his debts, however, he said "the amounts each side is claiming are too different," adding that he had "no intention of avoiding the parts I am responsible for." He also expressed regret over how the borrowing came about. "It was somewhat difficult to raise money through normal means — it's a large sum. I reached out in a panic, and that's how it ended up. Looking back now, I absolutely should not have done that," he said.

"First of all, I am deeply sorry, and I know that no matter what I say here, the creditors are angry and have been left waiting. I will see it through to the end and do my best to pay them back as soon as possible," Cheolgu said.

He also denied using borrowed money for gambling. "I can say without a doubt that I never gambled with borrowed money. I have submitted evidence to the investigative authorities," he said.

Cheolgu said he plans to resume broadcasting. "I intend to come back soon and really start fresh, going back to where I began. Broadcasting is ultimately the only thing I can do — avoiding it won't solve anything, so I plan to work hard," he said.

He added that he wanted to move away from provocative content. "Rather than doing only sensational things like before, I want to create good content that people can genuinely enjoy. If given another chance, I want to show everyone what it looks like to work hard as a broadcaster," he said.

When allegations against him first surfaced, Cheolgu admitted to overseas gambling during a broadcast on July 28 and said he intended to turn himself in to authorities. At the time, he said he had "gambled in the Philippines starting the year before last" and that he "spent more than 1 billion won on gambling in a single week." He also said that "value-added tax of around 6 billion won was levied in November 2025 and my bank accounts were seized."

Then in August, The K Entertainment — a company led by fellow internet broadcasters BJ Jjabgu (real name Jeong Geon-u) and Kay (real name Park Jung-gyu) — filed a fraud complaint against Cheolgu. The two are said to have lent him 3.7 billion won and 2.29 billion won, respectively. The complainants alleged the money was lent to cover tax payments or settlement fees related to Cheolgu's Afreeca TV broadcasts, but may in fact have been used for gambling or to pay off other debts. Cheolgu, however, has said the amounts he borrowed were 2 billion won and 2.3 billion won.

Cheolgu is a former professional gamer who began streaming after retiring in 2008. He married fellow internet broadcaster Oejirhye in 2016 and the couple had a daughter, but divorced in 2021.


paq@heraldcorp.com