Yoon Mi-hyang "Can't Even Talk to Grandma Gil Won-ok, Heartbreaking"

Prosecution Indicts Yoon Mi-hyang Without Detention on Charges of Embezzlement and Breach of Duty
Yoon Mi-hyang "Will Prove Innocence in Trial"

On July 31st, Yoon Mi-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, questioning at the plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Yoon Mi-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and former chairperson of the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeondae), who was indicted without detention on charges including accounting fraud, expressed her distress over losing contact with grandmother Gil Won-ok (92).

On the 14th, Yoon posted on her Facebook, sharing videos featuring grandmother Gil, titled 'Words of Grandmother Gil Won-ok,' 'Support for Wednesday Demonstration Participants,' and 'Grandmother Gil Won-ok's Request.' The released videos were identified as having been filmed in August 2017, January 2018, February 2019, and March 2020.

Yoon said, "Listen to the conversation. Our wonderful grandmother (Gil), who became a singer at 90 years old, how is she doing now?" She added, "Grandmother was a human rights activist and advocate who was wiser and warmer than anyone else, thinking of the children of the Korean schools in Japan, victims of wartime sexual violence, children from her hometown Pyongyang, and the children who come to the Wednesday Demonstrations."

In response to a netizen's question, "Is grandmother doing well these days?" she replied, "I don't know well. She is not answering phone calls," and added, "It breaks my heart to see that I was charged with quasi-fraud for allegedly deceiving a grandmother with severe dementia into donating."

Yoon then posted another message, stating, "The reason I suddenly shared videos of grandmother Gil from 2017 to 2020 is that, as I experienced the denial of grandmother's proud and wonderful life as a peace and human rights activist by the prosecution, I wanted to remember her life together with my friends."

Later, Yoon deleted the related posts, leaving only a part of them.

Yoon Mi-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is questioning Cho Myung-rae, Minister of Environment, at the Environment and Labor Committee plenary session of the National Assembly on the morning of August 20 / Photo by Yonhap News

According to multiple media outlets, earlier that day, the Criminal Division 4 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Choi Ji-seok) indicted Yoon without detention on charges including violation of the Act on the Management of Subsidies, fraud, violation of the Act on the Collection and Use of Donations, embezzlement, and breach of trust.

Yoon is accused of fraudulently receiving over 300 million won in subsidies from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Seoul Metropolitan Government from 2013 to 2020 by falsely registering the War and Women's Human Rights Museum, operated by the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Jeongdaehyeop, the predecessor of Jeonguiyeondae), as having a curator, which is a legal requirement for museum registration, despite not having one.

The prosecution also alleges that Yoon conspired with Son Mo (60), the late director of the Mapo Shelter, to illegally receive and donate a total of about 79 million won by having grandmother Gil, who suffered from severe dementia, donate 50 million won out of the 100 million won women's human rights award prize money to the Justice and Memory Foundation between 2017 and 2020.

Yoon issued a statement on the day, denying the charges against her.

She expressed "deep regret," claiming, "All the funds raised were used for public purposes, and Yoon Mi-hyang personally did not misuse any funds." She added, "Today's announcement cannot destroy the 30-year history and cause of the comfort women issue movement," and "I will prove my innocence in court."

In a post on her Facebook on the same day, Yoon also stated, "I will prove my innocence in court. Separately, I believe I should no longer burden the party due to my personal indictment," indicating her intention to suspend her party membership rights.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.