Ex-lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang sentenced for embezzling funds for wartime sexual slavery victims

[Anchor]

Former lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang has received a confirmed guilty verdict for embezzling funds intended for victims of the Japanese military's wartime sexual slavery.

She has been sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison, with a 3-year probation, resulting in the loss of her parliamentary seat.

However, due to the trial lasting over four years, former lawmaker Yoon has already completed her four-year term and left the National Assembly.

Kim So-young reports.

[Report]

The allegations of embezzlement against former lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang arose from the revelations of Lee Yong-soo, a victim of the Japanese military's wartime sexual slavery.

[Lee Yong-soo/Japanese military sexual slavery victim/May 2020: "They used the elderly women while dragging them around. It's fake tears."]

At that time, there were numerous calls for Yoon, who was then an elected member of the National Assembly, to resign, but she completely denied the allegations.

[Yoon Mee-hyang/then-elected member of the National Assembly/May 2020: "The claim that I have never delivered the money raised for the purpose of providing cash support directly to the victims is not true."]

The prosecution, which began an investigation, indicted Yoon in September of the same year without detention.

She was accused of misappropriating over 100 million won in donations for personal use over about ten years since 2011, receiving donations into her personal account, and falsely receiving subsidies from the Seoul city government.

Two and a half years after the indictment, the first trial recognized only some of the embezzlement as guilty and imposed a fine of 15 million won, but the second trial was different.

The amount recognized as embezzlement increased significantly to about 80 million won, and she was also found guilty of misappropriating over 130 million won in condolence money for the late Kim Bok-dong, resulting in a sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year probation.

The Supreme Court confirmed the ruling today (11.14), stating that there was no error in the original judgment.

With the conclusion of the case taking over four years from indictment to final verdict, former lawmaker Yoon completed her term normally last May.

The sentence for loss of parliamentary seat was issued after her term ended, leading to criticism from some in the ruling party and the legal community about "delayed justice."

The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan stated that they "take this result heavily" and announced that they would immediately return the government subsidies from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family that the court raised issues about.

KBS News, Kim So-young.