Music director Jeon Soo-kyung, who participated in the production of the torch relay theme for the 'PyeongChang Winter Olympics,' has been convicted of fraud and defamation and ordered to pay a fine of 7 million won.
According to the legal community on the 24th, the Supreme Court's third division (presiding judge Lee Suk-kyung) recently dismissed Jeon's appeal regarding fraud and defamation charges, stating that "there was no part of the lower court's ruling that was influenced by factual misinterpretation." The fine of 7 million won previously imposed on Jeon by the lower court has also been confirmed.
Jeon was indicted on charges of fraud for deceiving her agency, Keyeast Seoul, to obtain property. According to the court ruling in this case, Jeon used the 9.38 million won of operational expenses received from Keyeast Seoul for personal purposes rather than for company promotion or business acquisition. Jeon had claimed to her agency that she "conducted interviews with reporters and treated them to meals," while in reality, she had used company funds for personal dining with acquaintances.
Jeon was also indicted for defaming A, the representative of Keyeast Seoul. In 2020, Jeon spread rumors among acquaintances that "A had shared a secret meeting with a musician from the agency"; however, it was found that A had not engaged in such behavior.
In May of last year, the first trial court found all charges against Jeon to be guilty and sentenced her to a fine of 7 million won. Jeon appealed this decision citing disproportionate sentencing, but the court dismissed it in April. Shortly thereafter, Jeon filed for an appeal, but the Supreme Court ruled against her, confirming the lower court's judgment.
Keyeast Seoul fired Jeon in July 2021, right after confirming that she had committed these crimes. Consequently, Jeon filed a lawsuit for cancellation of the unfair dismissal judgment with the Central Labor Relations Commission. However, in October 2023, the Seoul Administrative Court stated, "Jeon appears to have made management decisions rather than being involved merely in recruiting employees and negotiating salaries," and concluded that "it is difficult to consider Jeon as an 'employee' of Keyeast Seoul," thereby dismissing her claim. Only employees subservient to a company within the meaning of the Labor Standards Act can apply for unfair dismissal remedies.
In response, Jeon Soo-kyung's side commented on the embezzlement aspect, saying, "The company has raised issues regarding all operational expenses used during the five years of my employment upon my resignation, leading to criminal charges." They noted, "As a long time has passed, I was unable to present direct evidence for some of the expenditures, resulting in an average of about 200,000 won per month being recognized as guilty." Furthermore, they explained, "The contested amount has already been fully returned to the company, so there are no further financial issues."
Jeon's representatives continued, "We regret and reflect on not properly providing proof in the processing of operational expenses," adding, "We sincerely apologize to everyone we have disappointed due to this incident."
Jeon is a music director who has participated in over 1,500 advertisements since 2013. She also contributed to the torch relay theme for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.