Yoon Mi-hyang, Who Published a Book, Sends It to Former President Moon with "Looking Forward to Your Review"

Posted 'Book Delivery' Photo on Facebook
Suspended Prison Sentence for 'Donation Embezzlement' in Court of Appeals

Independent lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang published a book titled Yoon Mee-hyang and the Dream of the Butterfly and presented it to former President Moon Jae-in. It is reported that former President Moon said he would “definitely read it.”

On the 5th, Yoon posted several photos on her Facebook page with former President Moon, saying, “I visited Pyeongsan. He welcomed me warmly with his usual smile.” She added, “I gave him a signed copy of Yoon Mee-hyang and the Dream of the Butterfly. He said he would definitely read it,” expressing her hope, “Someday, President Moon’s book review will be posted, right?”

[Photo by Yoon Mi-hyang, SNS]

The book mentioned by Yoon is Yoon Mee-hyang and the Dream of the Butterfly, which the publisher introduced as “a record of struggle and healing written with tears by an author who devoted her youth to resolving the issue of Japanese military 'comfort women.'”

Chapter 1, titled ‘Not Guilty, Not Guilty, Not Guilty...’, deals with the witch hunt that ended with those words, mentioning phrases such as ‘I am not guilty’ and ‘witch hunt by the prosecution and media.’ In the book review, the publisher stated, “It is time to break the ‘witch’ frame imposed on them and face the hidden truth.”

However, Yoon, who was indicted in September for embezzling funds donated to the Justice and Memory Foundation, was sentenced to a suspended prison term in the second trial. Unlike the first trial’s fine, the sentence corresponds to a penalty that results in loss of her parliamentary seat. The amount embezzled increased to 80 million won compared to the first trial, and she was also found guilty of illegally receiving 65 million won in government subsidies by falsely calculating labor costs.

The court pointed out, “Yoon knew better than anyone that state subsidies and donations must be used for their intended purposes, yet she embezzled funds causing financial losses.”

However, the court explained, “Considering her 30 years of work as an activist under harsh conditions contributing to the resolution of the comfort women issue and victim recovery, as well as appeals for leniency from various domestic and international organizations and families of the comfort women.”

Immediately after the trial, Yoon stated, “I will appeal and prove my innocence,” adding, “I will do my best in the remaining time so that the 30-year movement to resolve the Japanese military comfort women issue is not disparaged because of this.”

If the prison sentence handed down in the second trial is finalized, Yoon will lose her seat as a member of the National Assembly.

On September 20th, Yoon Mi-hyang responding to reporters' questions [Photo by Yonhap News]

The publisher also seemed aware of this situation. In the book introduction, the publisher stated, “Although the appellate court on September 20, 2023, sided with the prosecution unlike the first trial, the book was written based on the feelings at the time of the first trial judgment on February 10, 2023, when most charges were acquitted.”

They continued, “This is a record of struggle and healing written with tears by an author who was branded a scoundrel as a price for dedicating her youth to resolving the Japanese military ‘comfort women’ issue. It is also a letter of gratitude, ‘pressed down letter by letter with strength,’ to those who gave steadfast support and trust. Now it is the readers’ turn to respond to the author’s letter.”

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