Business Partner Admits to Giving 360 Million Won to OB Beer Executive

OB Beer Customs Evasion Trial

The head of an OB Beer business partner admitted, "I acknowledge having provided approximately 360 million won to an OB Beer executive." On November 11, at a trial related to OB Beer’s customs evasion case presided over by Judge Na Sanghun of the 13th Criminal Division at Seoul Northern District Court, Mr. Park, who appeared as a defendant, admitted to giving money to Mr. Jeong, the executive in charge of purchasing at OB Beer.

OB Beer logo. The Law Times.

In May 2025, prosecutors indicted Executive Jeong on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (customs), and also brought Mr. Park to trial for bribery. Prosecutors allege that from January 2020 to April 2025, Mr. Park provided approximately 360 million won to Executive Jeong, including the corporate card of Company A, in return for maintaining supply contracts and requesting price increases.

On this day, Mr. Park admitted to all the charges and requested a swift verdict from the court. The court stated, "Since Executive Jeong partially denies the charge of breach of trust and bribery, it is difficult to rule on Mr. Park’s case alone," and added, "We will consider the evidence review complete and schedule a future trial date for Mr. Park."

In addition to Executive Jeong, Bae Hajun, CEO of OB Beer, Vice President Kim Seokhwan, the OB Beer corporation, and the JetX Ventures corporation have also been indicted on charges including customs evasion. Prosecutors allege that from September 2018 to July 2023, OB Beer used the Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) system to disguise malt imported by themselves as if it was imported by a partner company, thereby evading approximately 15.7 billion won in customs duties. They are also accused of misreporting some maritime freight charges as land freight charges, resulting in an additional 800 million won in customs evasion. JetX Ventures is OB Beer’s craft beer subsidiary. The TRQ system imposes lower tariffs on a designated import volume, with higher tariffs applied to quantities exceeding that amount. Malt is sprouted barley seed and is a key ingredient in beer.

Currently, before the full-scale trial begins, prosecutors and defense attorneys are organizing the issues and evidence in the customs evasion case. With 15 defendants indicted in this case and fierce disputes expected over the evidence, it is anticipated that it will take a considerable amount of time before a first-instance verdict is reached.

Lee Sangwoo, The Law Times Reporter

※This article is based on content supplied by Law Times.

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