Actor Hwang Jung-eum, who was given a suspended prison sentence for embezzling about 4.3 billion won in company funds and who gave up her appeal, broke her silence by posting a tribute to the late Lee Soon-jae.
according to legal sources, as of Oct. 4 neither Hwang Jung-eum nor the prosecution filed an appeal, leaving the first-instance ruling intact. The Jeju District Court, Criminal Division 2 (Im Jae-nam Director General) had earlier sentenced Hwang Jung-eum, who was indicted on embezzlement charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, to two years in prison with four years of suspended execution.
Hwang Jung-eum is accused of transferring about 4.2 billion won from one-woman agency "Hunminjeongeum Entertainment," of which she owns 100% equity, to her personal account 13 times over the course of 2022 and using it for cryptocurrency investments, among other things. It was also revealed that she used company funds for personal expenditures of several million won such as property tax·local government tax, credit card bills, and interest on stock-backed loans.
She admitted all charges during the trial and repaid the full amount in question in two installments in May and June. At the sentencing, Hwang Jung-eum showed tears in court and offered a brief apology, saying, "I am sorry for causing concern."
Meanwhile, on the 25th Hwang Jung-eum quietly spoke out by leaving a tribute to the late Lee Soon-jae on her personal channel.
Hwang Jung-eum wrote, "Teacher Lee Soon-jae. I respect you and I love you. To me, who knew nothing, you were a warm father," and added, "Thank you for leaving unchanged love and memories for many juniors for a long time. Jung-eum will remember you forever, teacher."
A photo released together showed the two people smiling brightly during the filming of the MBC sitcom "High Kick Through the Roof," touching the hearts of viewers.
Meanwhile, the late Lee Soon-jae died at the age of 91 in the early hours of the 25th. The wake was set up in Room 30 of the Asan Medical Center funeral hall in Seoul, the funeral will be at 6:20 a.m. on the 27th, and the burial site is Eden Paradise in Icheon, Gyeonggi.
[Photo] OSEN DB, SNS
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