South Korean Motel Staffer Stole Employer’s Casino Chips to Fuel Gambling Habit

A South Korean motel employee fueled his addiction to betting by breaking into a company safe to steal casino chips and cash.

The man, aged 36 and unnamed for legal reasons, has been jailed for 14 years, the South Korean newspaper Gangwon Ilbo reported.

A branch of the Chuncheon District Court’s Criminal Division found the man guilty on charges of theft.

Prosecutors told the court that the man illegally accessed the safe in May 2025, “while working as an employee at a motel in Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province.”

The employee also stole three gold rings and a gold bracelet from the safe. Prosecutors explained that the man carefully examined the motel’s closed-circuit TV recordings of the owner accessing the safe to discover the safe’s passcode.

The court heard that the man struck while the motel’s owner was away. He first raided a cash register, stealing 220,000 won ($150) in cash, as well as 70,000 won ($48) worth of customers’ money.

The next morning, he accessed the motel’s safe. The man then stole approximately 3 million won (over $2,000) in cash and 1 million won (almost $700) worth of Kangwon Land casino chips.

Kangwon Land’s High1, also located in Jeongseon County, is the only casino in South Korea that admits domestic passport holders.

Arrest Comes Amid Kangwon Land Uncertainty

Angry Gangwon Province residents have recently asked the government to speed up the appointment of a new Kangwon Land CEO.

More than two years have passed since former Kangwon Land chief Lee Sam-geol resigned from his post. Lee left with four months of his tenure remaining.

Kangwon Land is majority state-owned. As such, CEO appointments must be made by the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy’s mine reclamation company.

In December, South Korea’s Joint Committee for Regional Revitalization issued a statement urging the ministry to provide a roadmap for the appointment of a new Kangwon Land chief.

Kangwon Land’s Anti-Gambling Addiction Drive

Last year, Kangwon Land announced the launch of a residential gambling addiction treatment center near the High1 resort.

The center operates in conjunction with the Korea Institute for Gambling Problem Prevention and Treatment, which provides addiction rehabilitation expertise.

Kangwon Land has also partnered with the Forest Healing Foundation, which provides additional accommodation infrastructure.

The casino operator said it provides treatment via professional counseling agencies. While many welcomed the move, some critics said the move was “a belated first step.”