The prosecution requested a prison sentence for Kang Dong-hee, 59, a former professional basketball coach, who was indicted on embezzlement charges for misappropriating large amounts of money from a basketball class. Kang was confirmed to have manipulated games after receiving money from brokers in the past and was expelled from the Korea Basketball League (KBL) the same year.

Former basketball coach Gang Dong-hee. /Courtesy of News1

According to the legal community on the 21st, the prosecution sought a two-year prison sentence for Kang in a trial held the previous day before Incheon District Court Judge Kim Eun-hye on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust.

The prosecution noted, "We considered the significant damage incurred by the victims" in their request for sentencing. The prosecution also requested that Judge Kim impose prison sentences of one to one and a half years on two of the four officials of the basketball class corporation indicted on the same charges. However, the cases of the remaining two officials, who acknowledged the charges during the trial, have been separated, and thus their sentencing hearings have not yet been conducted.

The sentencing hearing for Kang and others is scheduled to take place on April 24 at the Incheon District Court. Kang and others were indicted for embezzling 160 million won of corporate funds while operating the basketball class together from May to October 2018. They are also charged with causing damages to the corporation by using 21 million won of basketball class funds to pay for legal fees or by signing a contract for a new office. The prosecution determined that Kang and others used the misappropriated funds for personal use and other negative purposes, leading to their indictment in January 2023.

Kang attended all nine court hearings held over two years while remaining out of custody. He also denied the charges, stating, "I did not conspire with other defendants and did not gain any benefits."

Kang, during his playing days, was known as "the magician of the court." However, it was revealed that in 2011 he received 47 million won from brokers to manipulate the outcomes of some games by inserting substitute players into league matches. Later, his ten-month prison sentence imposed in the first trial in 2013 was confirmed, and he was expelled from the Korea Basketball League (KBL) in September of the same year.