An appeal trial date has been set for Park Soo-hong's brother and sister-in-law, who are accused of embezzling tens of billions of won from the broadcaster's appearance fees and personal assets.
On the afternoon of the 11th, the 12th Civil Division of the Seoul Western District Court will hold a public trial for Mr. Park and Ms. Lee, who have been indicted on charges of embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.
The brother and sister-in-law are accused of embezzling hundreds of millions of won from the entertainment company Rael and Media Boom, as well as from Park Soo-hong's personal funds, while managing his affairs from 2011 to 2021.
The first trial court found them guilty of embezzling over 720 million won from Rael and over 1.36 billion won from Media Boom, but acquitted them of the charge of embezzling the younger brother's personal assets. The brother, Mr. Park, was sentenced to two years in prison, while the sister-in-law, Ms. Lee, was found not guilty due to insufficient evidence of her active involvement in the company's operations. Both sides, Mr. Park's defense and the prosecution, appealed the decision.
Last July, Park Soo-hong appeared as a witness in the appeal trial and expressed, "After seeing the first trial's verdict, I was devastated that the embezzlement was limited to tax evasion and that personal embezzlement was ruled as not guilty. I felt wronged," adding, "I was so unfairly treated because I generated 100% of the sales. I could have gone to another agency, but I trusted and loved them because they were family."
He also added, "My ignorance was a mistake, but when I opened the lid, it was so horrific that I wanted to die."
Meanwhile, Ms. Lee was indicted for defamation for sending a false message in a KakaoTalk group chat, claiming that Park Soo-hong "cohabited with a woman during his broadcast appearances," and was fined 12 million won in December last year.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
