Actor Hwang Jung-eum has been sentenced to prison by the prosecution on charges of embezzlement amounting to several billion won.
On the 21st, during a trial held at the Jeju District Court's Criminal Division 2, presided over by Director General Lim Jae-nam, the prosecution requested the court to impose a three-year prison term on Hwang Jung-eum, who is accused of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement).
Hwang Jung-eum is accused of diverting more than 4.3 billion won from the funds of a planning agency she owns in 2022 for cryptocurrency investments. It is reported that she borrowed 800 million won in July of the same year under the agency's name and then transferred 700 million won to her personal account disguised as an advance payment to use for coin investments. It has been revealed that she used more than 4.2 billion won out of a total of 4.36 billion won of company money for cryptocurrency investments over 13 instances until October.
Additionally, it has been confirmed that Hwang Jung-eum paid her personal credit card bill of 4.44 million won and the interest on a stock collateral loan of 1 million won with company funds.
Hwang Jung-eum admitted to all charges at her first trial in May and pleaded for leniency, stating that she would repay the full amount of damages. In fact, she reportedly settled the remaining damages fully by disposing of her private properties, including real estate, on two occasions, May 30 and June 5, and submitted related documents to the court.
Earlier, after the embezzlement facts became known, she officially apologized, saying, "I entered the coin investment market with the encouragement of those around me in hopes of growing the company. Although the funds were in the company's name, I made a poor judgment because it was revenue I earned through my activities."
Last month, Hwang Jung-eum's agency stated to OSEN, "Ms. Hwang has disposed of her private property and completely repaid the amount owed on two occasions, May 30 and June 5, and all financial relations with Hunminjeongeum Entertainment have been settled."
The sentencing ruling for Hwang Jung-eum is expected to take place in September.
[Photo] OSEN DB, Broadcast Capture
[OSEN]