The Scandal That Ended a Career
Hey everyone! So, let’s take a trip back to 2010. Shin Jung-hwan was at the peak of his career. He was part of the iconic K-pop duo ‘Country Kko Kko’ and was a beloved regular on all the big variety shows like ‘Radio Star’. Basically, he was everywhere and people loved his witty, mischievous charm. Then, it all came crashing down.
News broke that he missed multiple TV show recordings because he was in the Philippines… for a massive illegal gambling binge. To escape the immediate fallout and explain his absence, he suddenly claimed he had been hospitalized with dengue fever, a serious tropical illness. He even posted a photo of himself in a hospital bed on his fan cafe to prove it. The problem? It was all a lie, and it unraveled spectacularly fast.
16 Years Later: The “Truth” Comes Out
Fast forward to literally a couple of days ago, on January 2nd, 2026. Shin Jung-hwan appeared on a YouTube show called ‘B-Level Studio’ and finally spilled the tea on what really happened. And OMG, it’s a wild story.
He now says he had never even heard of dengue fever back then. According to him, after he got caught gambling and missed his flight home, he was in a total panic. A close friend, an older guy or ‘hyung’ doing business in the Philippines, called him up. This friend apparently told him, “Hey, dengue fever is going around here. You probably have a fever from gambling all night, right? Just go to the hospital and use that as your excuse.” [4, 8]
So, following this terrible advice, he went to a local hospital. He said he actually did have a fever from exhaustion. He had someone take a photo while he was getting an EKG, thinking he should have some ‘proof’ just in case. He then posted that picture to his fan cafe to calm his worried fans, telling them, “I think I have dengue fever.”
How the Lie Got Exposed
This is where it gets even crazier. Shin Jung-hwan claims he only meant for his fans to see the post. But, he says, his fans immediately sent the photo to news outlets, and it became a national story. [2, 5] The nail in the coffin was when a producer from a Korean entertainment news show, who coincidentally was already in the Philippines for work, went to the very same hospital. The producer interviewed Shin’s doctor, who confirmed to the camera, “He has a fever, but it doesn’t seem to be dengue fever.” [6, 11] Busted.
That lie turned public opinion against him completely. It wasn’t just about the gambling anymore; it was about the ridiculous and clumsy attempt to deceive the entire nation. It led to him being basically canceled from the industry and eventually serving an eight-month prison sentence for the gambling charges.
Regrets and Reactions
During the YouTube interview, Shin Jung-hwan expressed regret, saying that if he could go back, he would just admit his mistake from the start. He also clarified that the nurse and doctor in the infamous photo weren’t hired actors, as many people believed, but were real hospital staff. As for the friend who gave him the ‘master plan’? He says they don’t speak anymore. It’s a pretty dramatic end to one of the most unforgettable scandals in Korean TV history!
