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Court sentences attorney for embezzling funds from sex crime victim

Published: 29 Dec. 2025, 09:30

[KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

A court sentenced a state-appointed attorney to prison for embezzling compensation funds awarded to a sex crime victim the attorney had represented.

Earlier this month, the Seoul Northern District Court sentenced the attorney, surnamed Kim, to eight months in prison for professional embezzlement. The victim filed a civil suit in 2020 for a sexual assault case and appointed Kim as the legal representative.

In April 2022, after the court ruled in favor of the victim, Kim received 31 million won ($21,000) from the perpetrator. However, Kim did not transfer the funds to the victim and instead used the money for personal living expenses, such as paying national pension contributions.

“The defendant betrayed the victim’s trust, and the nature of the crime is extremely vile,” the court said. “During the investigation, the defendant refused to respond to calls or summons from the authorities. The victim has refused to accept the escrowed funds and petitioned for a heavy sentence against Kim.”

Kim rose to public attention in 2009 for representing hundreds of sex crime victims, including in an attempted rape case involving a senior official of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. In 2015, Kim was appointed as a state-designated attorney for victims of sexual crimes.

Kim appealed the ruling.

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 JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]