Open Thread #917 » Dramabeans Korean drama recaps

Actress Hwang Jung-Eum seemed to be on the top of her career in 2020 when she lead two dramas, MEN ARE MEN and MYSTIC POP-UP BAR. But on September 3, 2020, after four years of marriage, she filed for divorce. It was a very public, long and contentious divorce. But suddenly, the parties withdrew the request for divorce because she was pregnant. She gave birth to her second son on March 16, 2022. In February, 2024, the couple again filed for divorce In April, 2024 Hwang issued an apology to Jo Ha Eun, a Miss Korea Seoul 2020 contestant, for mistakenly accusing her of having an affair with her husband. Later, she admitted to dating a basketball player during this divorce proceedings. At the time, the public did not understand what she was doing with her life. Her acting career was suspended for four years.

This week, Hwang admitted to embezzling funds from her wholly owned company. She embezzled around $3 million USD in total over years, using, $2.86 million to invest in cryptocurrency. Her lawyer told the court “The defendant invested in (cryptocurrency) coins in a bid to grow her company, as a corporation cannot own coins, she temporarily did so under her own name, leading to the crime.” The lawyer said the company’s losses have partially been covered by selling the cryptocurrency, adding the rest will be repaid by selling off real estate.

By admitting to embezzling “on behalf of her company,” seems to be odd defense. Corporate funds, even if she is the sole owner, are not her funds but company property to meet company obligations. It also may lead to further charges if her withdrawals of the funds were not claimed as taxable income or dividends on her personal tax filings.

It seems like every week there is a new celebrity scandal that has more twists than a normal k-drama.