The Rise and Dramatic Fall of a Star TV Producer

When Eun Gyeong-pyo was the producer of a popular TV program, he was indicted for receiving bribes from entertainment companies to cast their clients on his program.

Five years later, he owns his own entertainment company but faces the charge of illegally investing in and managing a casino.

Eun is CEO of DY Entertainment and a former MBC producer famous for producing the hits “Sunday, Sunday Night,” “Three Guys, Three Girls” and “New Nonstop.”

“Shin,” the leader of a gang in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, who ran a gambling place, faces indictment for violating laws on opening a gambling site and tourism promotion. Eun is known to have invested 275 million won (203,250 U.S. dollars) in Shin’s casino bar.

Prosecutors said Eun invested in the casino linked to a criminal organization through the head of another entertainment company “Ahn.” Shin used Ahn to set up an entertainment business and casino.

They ran the casino Baccarat at a bar in the basement of a building in southern Seoul between early November 2005 and January 2006. They invested 2.3 billion won (1.7 million dollars) and Eun, to whom Ahn introduced the casino, invested 275 million won (203,250 dollars).

Eun was lured into investing in the casino because he anticipated high returns in a short period of time.

The former producer was prosecuted in 2002 for accepting bribes worth a combined 89 million dollars (73,760 dollars) on more than 20 occasions from agents in return for using their talent in his program. He got a suspended sentence of 10 months in prison.

After quitting as producer, he became a representative of an entertainment company having many top celebrities as clients.

The latest charges facing Eun surfaced in an investigation of a contract killing involving the personal funds of CJ Group President Lee Jae-hyun.

dnsp@donga.com