The older brother surnamed Park, who was indicted on charges of embezzling billions of won while running TV personality Park Soo-hong's agency, was sentenced to prison in the appeals trial and was taken into custody in court.
The Criminal Division 7 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Lee Jae-gwon, Song Mi-kyung and Kim Seul-gi) on the 19th sentenced Park, who was indicted on charges of embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, to three years and six months in prison. The sentence is heavier than the first trial's two-year prison term.
For Park's spouse, surnamed Lee, who was tried together, the court overturned the first trial's not-guilty verdict and found Lee guilty. Lee was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to perform 120 hours of community service.
The court said, "As family of a famous entertainer, the defendant used the complainant's revenue to accumulate private wealth, betraying trust and also causing ethical controversy such as moral hazard, which had a negative impact."
From 2011 to 2021, over 10 years, the couple surnamed Park is accused of siphoning off billions of won, including company funds of the agencies Lael and Media Boom, for which they exclusively handled Park Soo-hong's management, as well as Park Soo-hong's personal funds.
Earlier, the first trial court acknowledged the embezzlement of about 2 billion won in company funds but acquitted Park of the charge of embezzling Park Soo-hong's personal assets.
On Nov. 12, prosecutors sought prison terms of seven years for Park and three years for Lee at the sentencing hearing.