The older brother of broadcaster Park Soo-hong and his wife have acknowledged some charges of embezzlement, while the appellate court trial has been postponed again.
On the 20th, the 7th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court postponed the appellate trial for Park Soo-hong's older brother, Mr. Park, and his sister-in-law, Ms. Lee, on charges of violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement) to next month, the 17th. This is the third postponement since the resumption of the appellate trial.
In the previous first trial, the court found Mr. Park guilty of embezzling 2 billion won in company funds and sentenced him to two years in prison. However, the charges of embezzling 1.6 billion won of Park Soo-hong's personal funds were deemed not guilty. Ms. Lee was also acquitted due to insufficient evidence as an accomplice. The prosecution sought a seven-year sentence for Mr. Park and a three-year sentence for Ms. Lee, but both sides appealed the verdict.
In this process, Mr. Park and his wife ultimately acknowledged some charges. It was revealed that they diverted company funds through personal use of corporate credit cards, falsely registering employees to pocket salaries, legal expenses, and personal item purchases, and it was confirmed that the amount of acknowledged embezzlement exceeded 2 billion won from the funds of Rael and Media Boom.
In the previous sixth trial, the court focused on the property formation results between Mr. Park and Park Soo-hong. The court stated, "Based on the results of both sides' presented opinions, we will reach a conclusion," and regarding the management of Park Soo-hong's personal account by his older brother who was acquitted in the first trial, requested, "Both sides should explain."
The court pointed out to the older brother and his wife, "Looking at the property formation results of Park Soo-hong and Mr. Park, it appears that Park Soo-hong has not shown significant increases in real estate acquisitions or financial assets except for a 50% equity stake in the Magok commercial property," adding, "On the other hand, Mr. Park and his wife acquired four properties, repaid debts on existing properties, and appear to have increased their financial assets by taking out various insurance policies." At the same time, the court requested a detailed summary of the differences in property status between the two sides.
Even though the source of income was almost entirely from Park Soo-hong's entertainment revenue, the court sought clarification on why there was a disparity in the extent of property formation between the two sides based on that revenue and whether the management of Park Soo-hong's personal account by his older brother could be considered appropriately managed for its intended purpose. Meanwhile, Park Soo-hong's older brother and sister-in-law have been indicted for allegedly embezzling approximately 6.2 billion won from Park Soo-hong's appearance fees and company funds while operating the entertainment agencies Rael and Media Boom from 2011 to 2021.
Earlier, Park Soo-hong appeared as a witness and expressed his feelings, saying, "I have lost many things that I worked hard for with my youth. I have tried to rectify this, but as it has not happened, I stand here. I will testify well so that the trial results can provide hope to many who have been harmed after trusting those close to them and showing goodwill like me."
In the trial, Park Soo-hong also expressed his indignation, stating, "My brother managed my money, but 100% of the revenue was mine. However, my brother took a larger salary, and all the assets were in my brother and sister-in-law's names."
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]