"Family is Number 1" beauty received a 2-year suspended sentence, broke down and cried in court

Despite returning all the embezzled money and remedying the consequences, Hwang Jung Eum was still sentenced to two years in prison by the Jeju District Criminal Court No. 2, shocking Korean public opinion.

On September 25, the Criminal Court No. 2 of the Jeju District Court, South Korea, sentenced actress Hwang Jung Eum to two years in prison, suspended for four years, for embezzlement under the Act on Strict Punishment of Special Economic Crimes. The decision was made after the court considered the seriousness of the act as well as the mitigating circumstances provided by the defendant.

According to the indictment, Hwang Jung Eum embezzled a total of about 4.34 billion won (equivalent to 82 billion VND) from Hunminjeongeum Entertainment, a family-owned entertainment company, of which she was the sole shareholder and only artist. Of this amount, 4.2 billion won (79.3 billion VND) was used by the actress to invest in cryptocurrency, the rest was used to pay property taxes, local taxes and personal credit card bills.

The court found Hwang Jung Eum's actions serious because she used company money for personal purposes and risky speculation, and spent it on luxury goods. However, the court also noted mitigating circumstances: the actress honestly admitted her wrongdoing, expressed remorse, voluntarily returned the entire amount, and this was her first offense, without causing direct harm to others. These factors were the basis for her suspended sentence.

Immediately after hearing the verdict, Hwang Jung Eum burst into tears in the courtroom. In front of the media, the star sincerely apologized: "I apologize for causing concern to fans and causing a media stir. I have never been near a police station before, and when I heard the verdict, I could not hold back my tears."

According to reporters at the scene, the actress appeared tired, haggard, with a haggard face, showing obvious signs of aging after a period of being in trouble with the law.

During the proceedings, Hwang Jung Eum admitted to all the charges and agreed to repay the illegally used money. She also sold off some of her real estate assets to remedy the consequences, with the payments made on May 30 and June 5.

Hwang Jung Eum was born in 1984 and started her career as a member of the girl group Sugar in 2002. After leaving the group, she turned to acting and quickly rose to prominence thanks to her roles in many famous TV series such as High Kick Through the Roof (Season 2), Horrible Secrets, Finding Myself, Listening to Your Heart and Beautiful Girl. The actress's career has been highly appreciated, but has also been associated with many personal scandals.

In 2024, Hwang Jung Eum became the center of media attention when she announced her divorce from steel tycoon Lee Young Don, related to debts and suspicions of adultery. She had to see a psychologist after the shock of being betrayed, and had mistakenly exposed her husband's "mistress", leading to lawsuits and affecting her public image. Life as a single mother has caused the actress many difficulties, but she shared that she is trying to balance between taking care of her child and reviving her career.

Hwang Jung Eum’s case has attracted great attention from the Korean public, not only because of the embezzlement charges but also because the image of a once-beloved star has been brought under the light of law. The court’s ruling closes the controversial period, at the same time emphasizing the message of responsibility and legal consequences for economic wrongdoing.

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