'Kim Hee-sun, Former Lawmaker, Admits Charges in Trial Over Fraudulent Funding of Independence Movement Film'

Violation of Subsidy Management Act Charges
"Admits Charges but Claims Dementia"

Former lawmaker Kim Hee-sun, accused of fraudulently receiving government subsidies by inflating production costs for a film related to independence activists, admitted to the charges at her first trial.

On the 12th, Judge Lee Chang-won of the Seoul Northern District Court Criminal Division 11 held the first hearing for Kim, who is charged with violating the Act on the Management of Subsidies.

According to the prosecution, Kim, while serving as the chairperson of the Anti-Japanese Women Independence Movement Memorial Project Association, is accused of fraudulently receiving about 50 million won in subsidies by inflating the production costs of a film related to the "Anti-Japanese Women Independence Activists Memorial Cultural Festival" from September to December 2021.

At the hearing, Kim's defense acknowledged "the facts and evidence presented by the prosecution," but argued that "Kim was diagnosed with Alzheimer's dementia in 2021, and her condition has worsened to the point where she has difficulty remembering events from just 30 minutes ago."

It was revealed that Kim instructed an association official, Mr. A, to double the film production costs to receive subsidies from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. The subsidies were paid to the film production company, and then half of the amount was returned under the name of donations and used for the corporation's operating expenses. Mr. A and others indicted on the same charges mostly admitted to the allegations during the trial.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs detected signs of fraudulent receipt of government subsidies by the association in March last year and requested a police investigation.

Meanwhile, Kim served as a member of the 16th and 17th National Assembly.

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