Hwang Jung-eum, known for her previous association with the musical group Sugar, is currently facing legal action for allegedly misappropriating 4.3 billion won from corporate funds. The prosecution advocates for a three-year custodial sentence.

As per information from legal insiders dated the 21st, the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office has requested a three-year prison term for Hwang. This appeal was made during the final trial concerning her breach of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement), presided over by Judge Lim Jae-nam at Jeju District Court's Criminal Division 2.

Hwang is accused of diverting approximately 4.34 billion won from company resources, including nearly 700 million won secured by Hunminjeongeum Entertainment. She purportedly invested these amounts in cryptocurrency, under the pretense of advance payments, dating back to early 2022.

It is alleged that about 4.2 billion won of the embezzled funds were funneled into cryptocurrency investments. The balance of the funds was reportedly allocated to settle property and local tax obligations, among other expenditures.

The company implicated in this case is a family-controlled enterprise, where Hwang holds full ownership and is the exclusive artist managed by the firm.

Hwang has conceded to the charges and is reported to have reimbursed the advance payments extracted from Hunminjeongeum Entertainment by June 5. Relevant documentation has been submitted to the Jeju District Court to support this claim.

In a plea for clemency, Hwang's legal team argued, "The defendant engaged in these investments with the aim of business expansion. She misunderstood accounting practices and procedures, assuming that repayment would rectify the situation, which inadvertently led to the offense. Since the full amount has been returned and no other parties were harmed, we request leniency."

The court is scheduled to pronounce Hwang's sentence at 10 a.m. on the 25th of the forthcoming month.