Supreme Court Sentences Center Director to Prison for Receiving Counterfeit Bags and Beef and Falsifying Community Service Records

by Kim Daehyun

Published 14 Feb.2021 12:08(KST)

Supreme Court, Seocho-dong, Seoul / Photo by Honam Moon munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The head of a community service center who received counterfeit luxury bags and beef and falsified the service records of a community service order recipient has been sentenced to prison.

On the 14th, the Second Division of the Supreme Court (Presiding Justice Kim Sanghwan) confirmed the original sentence of 1 year and 6 months imprisonment for Mr. A, the head of a community service center in Incheon, who was tried on charges including obstruction of official duties and breach of trust.

Mr. A was indicted for falsely reporting to the probation office that Mr. B, who was ordered 120 hours of community service in 2018 for drug-related charges, had completed his service. When Mr. B requested Mr. A to allow him to substitute money instead of performing community service, Mr. A accepted bribes and fabricated the service records.

During this process, Mr. B transferred 3 million won to Mr. A’s personal account and also gave him a counterfeit Louis Vuitton bag and 10 geun (approximately 3.75 kg) of beef.

A community service order is a system where a person convicted by a court is required to perform unpaid social labor for a certain period instead of being detained in prison. Mr. A was the head of the community service center entrusted with executing this order.

The first and second trials sentenced Mr. A to 1 year and 6 months imprisonment. The court did not accept Mr. A’s claim that he received the counterfeit Louis Vuitton bag and 10 geun of beef as a gesture of friendship. However, the court judged that the 3 million won was received by Mr. A as center operating funds.

The court explained the sentencing rationale, stating, “A community service order is imposed to prevent recidivism and promote healthy social reintegration by suspending the execution of a sentence. Mr. A, as the head of the entrusted institution, engaged in fraudulent work, endangering the criminal justice function that prevents crime.”