Actress Hwang Jung Eum (41) is currently facing charges of embezzling funds from her own company. Following the scandal, ads featuring her have been quietly removed.
Daesang WellLife’s Nucare, which had launched an ad campaign starring Hwang Jung Eum along with many cast members from the popular sitcom 'High Kick Through The Roof,' took down all videos featuring her.
The ads had gained attention for continuing the story after the show ended, especially by wrapping up the unresolved romance between Hwang Jung Eum and co-star Choi Daniel with a happy ending involving marriage and childbirth. This storyline was well received by fans.
However, less than a week after the campaign launched, serious embezzlement allegations against Hwang Jung Eum surfaced, leading Nucare to pull the ads.
According to reports, the first trial took place on the 15th at Jeju District Court, where Hwang Jung Eum faces charges of embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.
She is accused of embezzling around 4.34 billion KRW (about $3.097 million) by taking advance payments from loans her personal agency received and investing about 4.2 billion KRW (about $3.002 million) of that money in cryptocurrency by the end of 2022.
Hwang Jung Eum was indicted without detention and reportedly admitted to the charges during the hearing. Her lawyer explained that she invested in cryptocurrency to help grow the company. Since the company couldn’t hold crypto directly, she temporarily invested in her own name, which led to the current situation.
The defense also asked for leniency, pointing out that the agency’s profits come from Hwang Jung Eum’s work, and that she has already sold some cryptocurrency and plans to sell real estate to repay the damages.
The company involved is a family-owned business fully owned by Hwang Jung Eum, separate from her management agency, Y.ONE Entertainment. Y.ONE Entertainment said they are “still confirming the facts” and have not commented further.
Meanwhile, Hwang Jung Eum’s team has requested to speed up the repayment process, and the court has accepted this request.
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