A suspended prison sentence was sought for a person surnamed Jeong (49), the husband of Kurly CEO Kim Seul-ah, who is accused of forcibly molesting a probationary employee.
At the first trial held on Mar. 10 before the Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 5 single-judge panel (Presiding Judge Chu Jin-seok), prosecutors asked the court to sentence Jeong to one year in prison, suspended for two years. They also sought orders for him to complete a sex-offender treatment program and a three-year employment restriction.
Jeong was indicted on charges of sexually harassing a probationary employee at a restaurant in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, in June last year. At the time, Jeong touched the probationary employee's arm and waist and made remarks to the effect of "I like you," it was found.
That day, Jeong said, "I admit all the charges and am deeply remorseful," and noted, "I also deeply apologized to the victim and tried to prevent secondary harm." He added that after the incident, the parties reached an amicable settlement, including hiring the victim, the probationary employee, as a full-time worker, and that a letter of non-punishment was submitted.
Jeong is the CEO of Next Kitchen, an affiliate that supplies home meal replacements to Kurly, and after the incident he was placed on suspension instead of being dismissed by the company. Kurly, run by CEO Kim, holds a 46.4% equity stake in Next Kitchen.
The first-instance sentencing hearing for CEO Jeong will be held at 1:50 p.m. on Apr. 7.