A former manager of violinist Yujin Park has been sentenced to prison for defrauding her of millions of won.
The Seoul Southern District Court's Criminal Appeal Division announced on May 19 that Kim, 65, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison on March 26 for charges including fraud, forgery, and embezzlement.
The prosecution did not appeal the ruling, and while Kim submitted a petition to the Supreme Court, he withdrew it on May 7, finalizing his sentence.
Investigations revealed that Kim exploited Yujin Park's mental health struggles, including bipolar disorder, to manipulate her. He coerced her into signing loan agreements and land sale contracts under the pretense of facilitating her violin performances.
From August 2016 to May 2018, Kim had Yujin Park sign loan agreements that resulted in debts amounting to millions of won, while he pocketed approximately 357.5 million won from creditors. Additionally, he sold her land in Jeju from March 2016 to April 2018, profiting from those transactions as well.
In June 2018, he altered the rental agreement for an apartment Yujin Park was leasing, taking 50 million won from the security deposit. He also misappropriated about 180 million won in compensation for land that Yujin Park was entitled to, using it to settle his own debts.
The first trial court sentenced Kim to four years in prison in November of last year, noting that he had taken advantage of a victim with mental disabilities who trusted him, using her assets for personal gain.
Kim appealed, arguing that the sentence was too harsh. The appellate court acknowledged that he had not made restitution and had not received forgiveness from the victim, but it reduced his sentence to three years and six months, considering his long-term relationship with Yujin Park and the repayment of some fraudulent loans.
This case came to light in 2019 when the Seoul Disability Rights Center reported Kim to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor's Office for fraud, breach of trust, and embezzlement. Yujin Park expressed her desire for punishment during the police investigation.
Yujin Park, a Korean-American violinist, gained recognition in South Korea after appearing on KBS's "Open Concert" in 1996. She was a full scholarship student at the Juilliard Pre-College and earned the title of "child prodigy violinist" for her performances that blend classical and pop music.
However, she has faced controversies regarding alleged abuse by her former agency and exploitation by those around her. The court's ruling in this case, where she suffered financial losses at the hands of a trusted manager, concluded Kim's trial after approximately four years and four months.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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