Actor Hwang Jung-eum was sentenced to a suspended prison term for embezzling about 4.3 billion won of company funds, and the sentence was finalized as she waived her appeal.
According to the legal community, as of the 4th, neither Hwang Jung-eum nor the prosecution filed an appeal, leaving the first-instance verdict intact. Earlier, last month the Jeju District Court Criminal Division 2 (Im Jaenam, Director General judge) sentenced Hwang Jung-eum, who was indicted on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement), to two years in prison with four years of suspended execution.
Hwang Jung-eum faces charges of embezzling about 4.2 billion won in 2022 from Hunminjeongeum Entertainment, a private agency in which she held 100% equity. Aside from Hwang Jung-eum, the company effectively had no affiliated entertainers, making it a one-person agency.
In July 2022, she borrowed 800 million won in the company's name, then transferred about 700 million won to her personal account under the name of "temporary payment" and invested it in cryptocurrency, investigators found. By October of that year she moved and invested about 4.2 billion won in the same way over 13 transfers. It was also revealed that she spent several million won of company funds on personal costs such as property tax, local government tax payments, card bills, and interest on stock-secured loans.
During the trial, Hwang Jung-eum admitted all charges. She also said she repaid the entire amount withdrawn from Hunminjeongeum Entertainment in two installments on May 30 and June 5.
At the sentencing, Hwang Jung-eum shed tears in court, and after the trial she told reporters briefly, "I am sorry for causing concern. I have never even been near a police station, and when I heard the sentencing result I cried."
With no appeal, Hwang Jung-eum accepted the verdict, finalizing a two-year prison term with four years suspended.
Having been an actively working actor, attention is focused on the damage to her image from this case and whether she will return to the entertainment industry.
[Photo] OSEN DB
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