The Jeju District Court sentenced South Korean actor Hwang Jung-eum to a two-year prison term, suspended for four years, on Thursday. The actor is charged with embezzling approximately 4.34 billion won ($3 million) from her family-run agency to invest in cryptocurrency.
According to the reports, at her first trial on May 15, Hwang admitted her charges and asked the court for time to repay the money. She had already returned 3 billion won and later sold personal assets to repay the rest in two payments on May 30 and June 5, providing proof to the court.
According to the reports, at her first trial on May 15, Hwang admitted her charges and asked the court for time to repay the money. She had already returned 3 billion won and later sold personal assets to repay the rest in two payments on May 30 and June 5, providing proof to the court.
Suspended sentence for crypto embezzlement
Hwang’s defense explained that she made the cryptocurrency investment to grow her company, mistakenly thinking it was fine if she repaid the funds, due to her lack of accounting knowledge. At her final hearing on August 21, she expressed regret, saying she was trying to work hard but neglected financial and tax matters.
The court noted that Hwang repaid all the money and had no prior offenses, leading to a two-year suspended sentence. Prosecutors had sought a three-year prison sentence during the final hearing in August.
Hwang started her career in 2002 with the idol group Sugar. Further, she became an actor in popular TV shows like Kill Me, Heal Me and She Was Pretty.
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