‘Kumho Group Data Deletion’ Former Kumho Executive and Former Fair Trade Commission Employee Sentenced to Prison in First Trial

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A former executive of Kumho Asiana Group who requested the deletion of unfavorable company data by offering bribes and a former Fair Trade Commission employee who complied with such demands were each sentenced to prison in the first trial.

Geumho Asiana Headquarters, Jongno-gu, Seoul

On the morning of the 17th, Judge Kim Sang-il of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 1 sentenced Yoon, a former executive of Kumho Asiana Group, who was indicted on charges including bribery, to two years in prison. He was also ordered to pay a fine of approximately 4.18 million won.

Judge Kim pointed out that Yoon "was in charge of managing the funds of the family of the group’s head, directly instructed a Fair Trade Commission official to destroy evidence, and offered bribes under the pretext of a request," adding that "each method of the crime was very reprehensible."

Former Fair Trade Commission employee Song, who was tried on charges including obstruction of official duties by deception, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison and fined 10 million won. Judge Kim stated, "As a Fair Trade Commission official, he leaked information about on-site investigation schedules, plans, and crackdown details, directly input evidence materials at Yoon’s request, fabricated false official documents, and accepted bribes, which significantly hindered the proper exercise of criminal justice based on the discovery of substantive truth."

However, although Song was sentenced to imprisonment, he was not detained in court. The judge added, "He fully admitted his wrongdoing and has shown some remorse. Consideration was given to the fact that he has no prior criminal record."

Song was put on trial for receiving bribes and golf entertainment worth about 4.18 million won from Yoon between 2014 and 2018 while handling digital forensic data analysis at the Fair Trade Commission, and for deleting or altering data unfavorable to Kumho Group among materials secured by the commission.

He was also accused of leaking information about on-site investigations and crackdown schedules related to Kumho Asiana Group to Yoon in advance. The deleted data reportedly included materials unfavorable to former Kumho Asiana Group Chairman Park Sam-gu, who was under criminal investigation at the time.

Yoon was indicted on charges of bribing Song and transferring about 110 million won of company funds through false contracts related to brokers and advertising consulting.

In August 2020, the Fair Trade Commission ordered corrective measures and imposed a fine of 32 billion won on Kumho Asiana Group for unfairly supporting Kumho Express (Kumho Holdings), which has a high shareholding ratio by the group’s head, through affiliates such as Asiana Airlines.

The commission also reported Kumho Industrial, Asiana Airlines, former Chairman Park Sam-gu, Yoon, and two executives of the group’s Strategic Management Office at the time to the prosecution.

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