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Amid the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol's president, the so-called "Toto" gambling of domestic politicians such as Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, as well as President Yoon's "judicial superweek" is openly taking place on overseas sites.

Under the current law, betting on betting sites except Sports Toto (the upper limit of 100,000 won) operated by the National Sports Promotion Agency is illegal both at home and abroad. Nevertheless, caution is needed as cases of "illegal betting" continue on "Polymarket," the world's largest betting site based on blockchain.

According to the Polymarket on the 27th, bets are being made on whether President Yoon will be fired within April on the site. The probability that bettors on the site expected to "break down" rose to up to 84% on the 18th of last month, but fell to 5% as of that day as President Yoon's arrest was canceled and Prime Minister Han Deok-soo's impeachment was rejected. The stakes are about 38.5 billion won ($26.27 million) in the betting alone.

In the bet titled "Will President Yoon be fired within 2025," the probability of "breakdown" is 76% as of the day. In addition, there are bets such as "Will First Lady Kim Gun-hee be arrested within 2025," "How many constitutional judges will cite or reject impeachment," and "Will Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung be arrested within 2025?"

Eom Ki-hong, a professor of political science and foreign affairs at Kyungpook National University, said, "It has been a long time since politics has become satirical and recreational," adding, "There are studies in the United States that predict elections with bets."

Polymarket is a site that has become a hot topic in Korea with bets on "President Joe Biden's renunciation of re-election" and "President Donald Trump's choice of running mate."

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During the impeachment trial of then-President Park Geun Hye in 2017, private illegal discussions about the results of the trial and whether key figures in the state affairs monopoly were arrested were also prevalent. In the subsequent presidential election, illegal gambling sites that differentiated dividends for each candidate appeared.

Even overseas betting sites can be punished for gambling if a person with Korean nationality bets. In the case of habitual gambling, imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to 20 million won can be imposed. Kang Song-wook, a lawyer at the law firm DLG, said, "Since the criminal law is deceitful, even if it is a betting site opened in a country where gambling is legal, it is punished as gambling in Korea regardless of that," adding, "There is a rule that makes exceptions to only the degree of temporary entertainment, but earning profits from professional betting sites is not an exception, so there is a high probability of punishment."

In addition, some point out that the act of betting the stakes on the political situation itself negatively affects social perception. Lee Joon-han, a political science professor at Incheon National University, said, "Polimarket was highly accurate in the U.S. presidential election, but when it comes to Korean politics, it will be difficult to guarantee accuracy or influence public opinion as there are limited participants in betting. It is hard to say that it is a healthy political culture that political participation can be commercialized, caricatured, or transformed into a kind of money game."