Actress Hwang Jung-eum, who is a former member of the group Sugar, has been indicted for embezzling funds from her own entertainment agency and has acknowledged the charges, offering an apology.
On the afternoon of the 15th, Hwang Jung-eum stated through her agency, "First of all, I apologize for causing concern to many people due to this embarrassing matter," and explained, "I established and operated an entertainment agency for my activities. This agency is a company in which I hold 100% of the shares, and there have been no other artists affiliated with it; all profits come from my activities."
Hwang Jung-eum continued, "While I had the desire to grow the company, around 2021, I was advised by someone around me to invest company funds in cryptocurrency, which led me to venture into an investment I was not familiar with," adding, "Although the funds were in the company's name, they were profits I earned from my activities, so I believe I made an immature judgment."
She further stated, "Although I suffered losses from the cryptocurrency investment, I own 100% of the company's shares, there are no other affiliated artists, and aside from banks that have secured collateral, there are no other creditors, so fortunately, I did not cause harm to any third parties," and expressed, "To rectify the wrong business relationship with the company, I am currently affiliated with another agency and am working to cleanly resolve the business relationship with the previous company."
Hwang Jung-eum also mentioned, "I have repaid a significant portion of the funds I withdrew from the company in the form of advances by disposing of personal assets, and I am in the process of settling some outstanding debts," and bowed her head, saying, "Once again, I apologize and will fulfill my necessary responsibilities."
On the same day, a media outlet reported that the first trial for Hwang Jung-eum, who is facing charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement), was held.
According to reports, Hwang Jung-eum received 700 million won under the guise of an advance from the funds borrowed by her agency in early 2022 and invested it in cryptocurrency. She has been indicted without detention for embezzling a total of approximately 4.34 billion won of company funds by December 2022.
The victimized agency is a family corporation wholly owned by Hwang Jung-eum. The media reported that Hwang Jung-eum invested about 4.2 billion won of the embezzled amount in cryptocurrency and acknowledged the charges during the trial.
Hwang Jung-eum debuted in 2001 as a member of the group Sugar. She gained significant popularity after appearing on the MBC variety show "We Got Married" and has continued to connect with the public through numerous works such as "High Kick Through the Roof," "Giant," and "Kill Me, Heal Me."
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
