Former professional golfer Ahn Seong-hyun, husband of girl group Fin.K.L alum and actress Sung Yu Ri, was acquitted in the second trial after the first trial handed down a prison sentence on charges that he took tens of billions of won in bribes purportedly to list a cryptocurrency.
On Feb. 2, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 13 (Presiding Judge Baek Gang-jin, Kim Seon-hee, Yoo Dong-gyun) acquitted Ahn Seong-hyun of charges of violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (fraud) and receiving bribes in breach of trust. Previously, Ahn Seong-hyun had been sentenced to four years and six months in prison in the first trial, which was overturned.
Lee Sang Jun, former Bithumb Holdings CEO, who was tried together with Ahn Seong-hyun on charges of conspiring with him, was sentenced to two years in prison with a three-year suspended sentence and a fine of 11,525,000 won, and businessman Kang Jong-hyun, who requested the listing, was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year suspended sentence. In the first trial they had been sentenced respectively to two years in prison with a fine of 50,025,000 won and one year and six months in prison, but they received reduced sentences together with Ahn Seong-hyun in the second trial. In addition, a person affiliated with the coin issuer was acquitted in the second trial as well as in the first trial.
The court found not credible the testimony that Kang Jong-hyun handed Ahn Seong-hyun 5 billion won as payment for arranging the coin listing. The court reasoned that it was not reasonable to pay 5 billion won before the coin was listed. For that reason, the indictment that he received 3 billion won for receiving bribes in breach of trust was also not recognized. The court also pointed out that the allegation that Ahn Seong-hyun deceived Kang Jong-hyun and embezzled 2 billion won was mutually inconsistent.
In particular, the second trial court found the testimony of MC MONG, which the first trial court had adopted, to be not credible. It found more persuasive the claim that Ahn Seong-hyun invested 2 billion won in Big Planet on behalf of Kang Jong-hyun and was merely a messenger who conveyed the request to list the coin.
From Sept. to Nov. 2021, Ahn Seong-hyun was accused of receiving tens of billions of won in bribes from Kang Jong-hyun along with a request to list coin A on Bithumb. The prosecution alleged that Ahn Seong-hyun received 3 billion won in cash and two luxury watches worth 400 million won and a luxury restaurant membership card worth 11.5 million won from former CEO Lee Sang Jun, Kang Jong-hyun and officials of the coin issuer. The prosecution also alleged that Ahn Seong-hyun separately embezzled 2 billion won by deceiving Kang Jong-hyun.
They were detained after being sentenced to prison in the first trial on Dec. 2024, excluding the person affiliated with the coin issuer. During the second trial process, bail was granted and they were tried while not in detention.
Ahn Seong-hyun debuted as a professional golfer in 2005 and served as a coach for the Korea national golf team reserve squad from 2014 to 2018. He married Sung Yu Ri in 2017 and they have twin daughters.
[photo] OSEN DB.
[OSEN]