Businessman Sentenced to 3 Years for Embezzling 6.6 Billion Won to a 'Virtual Shaman'

Deceived by Acquaintances Posing as a Shaman

A former CEO of an electrical appliance manufacturer, who embezzled approximately 6.6 billion won in company funds and offered it to a 'virtual shaman' after being deceived by an acquaintance, has been sentenced to prison in the first trial.

According to the legal community on May 20, the 15th Criminal Division of the Seoul Southern District Court (Chief Judge Noh Yougyeong) sentenced Mr. A, a former CEO of a home appliance company, to three years in prison on April 28 for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement).

The court stated, “As CEO, Mr. A was responsible for fulfilling his duties, but he blindly followed the instructions of a so-called shaman and siphoned off a large sum of money,” adding, “Given the scale and method of the crime, the severity is extremely high.”

Mr. A is accused of embezzling 6,587 million won in company funds over about one year from 2019, after following instructions from a shaman introduced by his ex-wife’s acquaintance, Mr. B and his spouse, who told him, “Bring money from the company to offer at the altar.”

However, it turned out that the shaman was a fictitious character created by Mr. B and his spouse. The couple communicated with Mr. A via text messages, pretending to be the shaman. Mr. B and his spouse were indicted and detained in February on charges including fraud and extortion under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.

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