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The K-Drama actress and ex-pop idol Hwang Jung-eum has been released after her conviction for misappropriating company funds to finance personal cryptocurrency investments.
The South Korean news outlet Financial News reported that the Jeju District Court found her guilty of the offenses and issued a suspended sentence of two years in prison.
The judge in charge also mandated that she serve four years of probation. Hwang embezzled approximately 4.2 billion won ($3 million) from Hunminjeongeum Entertainment in 2022.
The South Korean actress and former pop star Hwang Jung-eum speaks to reporters outside a branch of the Jeju District Court on September 25, 2025. (Source: Channel A News [Korea]/Screenshot)
K-Drama Star Hwang Jung-eum Expresses Regret for Her Actions
Hwang exited the courtroom in tears following the sentencing. She shared with reporters outside the courtroom:
“I apologize for all the issues I have caused. I have never even been near a police station before. So I wept when I heard the court’s decision.”
Hunminjeongeum was Hwang’s own sole proprietorship, a company that she fully owned.
The court was informed that Hwang Jung-eum invested the majority of the embezzled funds into cryptocurrency assets.
Prosecutors also detailed that she utilized money from her agency’s accounts to cover her credit card payments, as well as to pay her property and local taxes.
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During an August hearing, the prosecution requested a three-year prison sentence for Hwang. They did not indicate whether they would pursue an appeal of the district court’s ruling.
Hwang’s legal representatives pointed out that she acknowledged all the charges and had reimbursed the funds in two payments, on May 30 and June 5 of this year.
Actor Hwang Jung-eum was given a suspended prison sentence Thursday for embezzling over 4.2 billion won ($3 million) from her agency to invest in cryptocurrency. https://t.co/OdQb6bfF4Q
— The Korea JoongAng Daily (@JoongAngDaily) September 25, 2025
Judge Clarifies Rationale for Suspending Sentence
<pthe presiding judge stated during the sentencing:
“The defendant’s guilt is significant due to the extent of damage caused by her speculative investments.”
Nevertheless, the court clarified its choice to suspend the sentence. The judge mentioned that it considered the fact that this was Hwang’s first offense.
The presiding judge also determined that the damages were “only confined to the defendant” and acknowledged that she had “reimbursed the complete sum of money she had misappropriated.”
Hwang, previously a member of the South Korean pop group Sugar, gained recognition on television in the late 2000s with her role in the MBC sitcom High Kick Through The Roof.
She has also starred in contemporary K-Dramas, including Kill Me, Heal Me (2015) and The Escape of the Seven (2023–2024).
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