'Former Foreign Ministry Employee Sent to Prosecution on Embezzlement Charges Related to BTS Jungkook Hat Sales'

Published 15 Nov.2022 10:05(KST)

Sent to Prosecution on Embezzlement Charges... Mother and Child Also Sent to Prosecution

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[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] A former Ministry of Foreign Affairs employee who posted a listing selling a hat belonging to BTS member Jungkook has been sent to prosecution without detention on embezzlement charges.

On the 15th, the Seoul Seocho Police Station announced that after legal review, they sent former Ministry of Foreign Affairs employee A to the prosecution on embezzlement charges. The hat in question was also sent to the prosecution.

The police explained that they reached this conclusion considering that A was a public service assistant, not a person related to lost property or a regular employee.

During the police investigation, A reportedly admitted to the charge of acquiring the hat and attempting to sell it on a secondhand trading site.

On the 17th of last month, A posted on the secondhand trading platform Bungaejangter a listing titled "Selling a hat directly worn by BTS Jungkook for 10 million won," along with a photo verifying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs public service employee ID, sparking controversy. Subsequently, the police received a response from BTS’s agency HYBE confirming that the hat was indeed lost at that location (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), leading to A being booked and the investigation continuing.

A claimed that when Jungkook visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain a passport, he left the hat behind, and since there were no calls or visits to claim the lost item for six months after the lost property report, he acquired ownership. However, it was revealed that there was no record of the hat being registered as lost property with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the National Police Agency, which intensified the controversy.