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Actor Hwang Jung-eum handed suspended prison sentence in embezzlement case

Published: 25 Sep. 2025, 12:52 Updated: 25 Sep. 2025, 20:10

Actor Hwang Jung-eum leaves the Jeju District Court on Sept. 25, after being handed a suspended sentence for embezzling 4.2 billion won ($3 million) from her own agency in 2022. [YONHAP]

Actor Hwang Jung-eum was handed a suspended prison sentence Thursday for embezzling over 4.2 billion won ($3 million) from her agency to invest in cryptocurrency.

The Jeju District Court sentenced Hwang to two years in prison, suspended for four years, for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.

According to the indictment, Hwang embezzled about 4.34 billion won from her agency in early 2022. The company, a family-run corporation solely owned by Hwang, had only one actor — Hwang herself — under its management.

Of the embezzled funds, about 4.2 billion won was invested in cryptocurrency. The remainder was reportedly used to pay property and local taxes through credit card payments.

At her first trial on May 15, Hwang admitted to all charges and asked for a continuation of the trial — instead of concluding the trials and waiting for a court sentence — to be given the time to repay the full amount. At the time, she had returned about 3 billion won. She later sold personal assets and repaid the remainder of the damages in two installments, on May 30 and June 5, submitting relevant documents to the court.

Hwang’s side said she made the investment in cryptocurrency hoping to grow her company and, due to a lack of understanding about accounting procedures, naively believed there would be no issue as long as she could repay the money.

Actor Hwang Jung-eum leaves the Jeju District Court on Sept. 25, after being handed a suspended sentence for embezzling 4.2 billion won from her own agency in 2022. [YONHAP]

“I was just trying to work hard and live honestly, but I neglected financial and tax matters, which led to this situation,” Hwang said during her final hearing on Aug. 21. “I am remorseful.”

The court said it took into account that Hwang had repaid the full amount and was a first-time offender.

Prosecutors had sought a three-year prison sentence at the final hearing in August.

Hwang left the courtroom in tears after the ruling on Thursday.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]