Former OURHOME Vice Chairman Koo Bon-sung was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence in the second trial following a first trial on charges of embezzling hundreds of millions of won in company funds. However, the sentence was longer in the second trial compared to the first.
On the 22nd, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 1, led by Director General Yoon Seong-sik, sentenced the former vice chairman, who was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (breach of trust) and embezzlement, to three years in prison with a four-year suspension. In the first trial, he received a sentence of two years in prison with a three-year suspension, but the sentence increased.
The former vice chairman was indicted for allegedly using company funds to purchase gift certificates for personal use by converting them into cash from July 2017, when he served as the CEO of OURHOME, until 2021, as well as receiving performance bonuses worth 2 billion won, unrelated to business performance. Additionally, he was accused of paying property taxes and comprehensive real estate tax for land in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, Seoul, using company funds and purchasing golf club memberships in his own name using company money.
The first trial court recognized only the allegation that the former vice chairman purchased gift certificates using company funds as guilty. However, the second trial court found him guilty of additional charges, including having unrightfully received management performance bonuses that caused damage to the company, and embezzling company funds by purchasing golf club memberships in his own name.
The court noted, 'Including the gift certificate portion recognized as guilty by the first trial court, it is established that the defendant has caused damage to the company through breach of trust.' It added, 'As the charges increased and the amount of damage grew, we cannot dismiss this point in determining the sentence.'
Previously, OURHOME submitted a complaint to the police stating that in November 2021, it detected signs of embezzlement and breach of trust by the former vice chairman during its internal audit. The Seoul Gangseo Police Station transferred the case to the prosecution in July 2022, and the prosecution indicted the former vice chairman without detention in September 2023.