Prosecutors Demand 15-Year Prison Sentence for Gangdong District Office Official Embezzling 11.5 Billion Won

Prosecution Also Demands Recovery of Approximately 7.7 Billion Won in Embezzlement

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] The prosecution has requested a 15-year prison sentence for a Gangdong District Office official who embezzled 11.5 billion won.

The Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 12 (Chief Judge Lee Jong-chae) requested the court on the 10th to sentence Kim Mo (47), a Gangdong District Office official indicted on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement) and forgery of official documents, to 15 years in prison. They also requested the confiscation of approximately 7.7 billion won of the embezzled amount that has not been returned.

The prosecution stated that this decision was made considering that the embezzled amount has not been returned and that the damage affects local governments and residents.

The prosecution explained the reason for the request, saying, "The embezzled amount exceeds 11.5 billion won, and the unreturned embezzled amount reaches 7.7 billion won. The crime was meticulously planned, and the offender even forged official documents to conceal it, showing very poor criminal intent." They also noted that the damage caused to local governments and residents was taken into account.

Kim briefly expressed his opinion on the day, saying, "Although I may have lacked a special sense of mission during nearly 20 years of public service, I have lived with a heart to serve the people. I deeply apologize."

Earlier, Kim was indicted on charges of embezzling about 11.5 billion won from the Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH)'s waste treatment facility installation fund, which was supposed to be used for the construction of a resource circulation center, while working in the Gangdong District Office's Investment Attraction Division and other departments from December 2019 to February last year. Of the embezzled amount, 3.8 billion won was deposited back into the district office account in May 2020, but most of the remaining 7.7 billion won is known to have been lost in stock investments.

The next trial is scheduled for 2 p.m. on the 9th of next month.

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