ON August 24, a Korean journalist has been caught by Okada casino security and, subsequently, has been handed over to the police after attempting to illegally film inside the Dowinn Group's junket room at the Okada casino. Since March, the journalist has previously published eight articles, raising negative allegations against the Dowinn Group.
Dowinn has answered the allegations last June 24 that Dowinn has supposedly failed to pay Kangwon Land for the 30 slot machines it has ordered.
Dowinn says it wanted to experiment with the profitability of Kangwon Land machines in the Philippines. Seeing that this was not the case, Dowinn did not push through with the purchase and has had the contract terminated.
Despite this clarification, the Korean media outlet continues to insist that Kangwon Land is still waiting for the payment. In an article dated June 25, 2024, an excerpt of its article reads in Korean, "However, the promise has not been fulfilled for 1 year and 5 months."
In an article published on June 27, the said Korean media is also spreading misinformation about Dowinn heading toward bankruptcy and imminent closure, stating in Korean: "There are indications that bankruptcy is just a matter of time as the casino junket room of the Philippine Dowinn Group, which signed a contract to purchase Kangwon Land slot machines, is going through the process of closing down."
Dowinn has presented The Manila Times with a copy of its letter to RGB Ltd.— its point of contact with Kangwon Land — as proof that the contract has already been terminated as early as June 29, 2023, which is the three-month deadline set after nonpursuance of the remaining Kangwon Land machines. Dowinn says it has also presented the contract to other Korean media outlets.
Dowinn says the reporter appears to be misinformed about the details of the contract, denying the existence of its termination in the June articles and yet acknowledging that it was later on breached.
This was corroborated by Dowinn when the reporter wrote in an article on July 17 that the contract became invalid in May as Kangwon Land terminated it due to nonpayment of balance.
Dowinn is also questioning the legitimacy of the reporter's sources, which is commonly referred to as "Korean community" or "Korean resident."
In the same article last June 27, the reporter has cited a "local Korean community official," who said that the chips from Dowinn's junket rooms in Clark Royce and DeHeights were confiscated in line with its allegations of bankruptcy.
Dowinn says this is untrue as the junket rooms have just reopened, which would not be possible if the chips were confiscated. Additionally, while the reporter writes that there is an imminent closure for Dowinn, he had also written about its reopening, making the claims contradictory.
The Philippine casino also says it has reason to believe that the reporter might be conspiring with the Dowinn Group's competitor due to his incessant interest in the casino and due to an incident on the way to the police station.
Dowinn says it has caught the reporter taking unauthorized photos of its junket rooms in Okada Manila and has filed a police case against him for alleged unjust vexation and violation of house rules and regulations at Paranaque city, Tambo Police substation last August 23.
As the reporter was escorted to the police, Dowinn says he was seen contacting a Korean person. When the name was deciphered, The Philippine casino has identified the contact as the name of the Dowinn Group's competitor.
Meanwhile, the formal case filed by Dowinn against the Korean outlet is still ongoing.
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