Prosecutor Investigator Involved in 30 Billion Won Illegal Money Transfer Sentenced to 2 Years in Appeal Trial

Busan District Court

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Ju Cheol-in] A public prosecutor who was indicted for illegal foreign exchange transactions worth around 30 billion KRW targeting overseas gambling operators was sentenced to imprisonment again in the appellate court.

On the 20th, the Criminal Division 1 of Busan District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Hong-jun) announced that in the appellate trial of A (41), an 8th-grade investigator at Busan District Prosecutors' Office, who was indicted for violating the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, the original sentence was overturned and a prison term of 2 years and a fine of 145 million KRW were imposed.

A was sentenced to 3 years in prison and fined 224 million KRW in the first trial.

The appellate court stated, "Considering that A has shown remorse for the crime and is a first-time offender, and that about 79 million KRW of the fine was already paid by co-defendant B (41) in a previous case, only 145 million KRW will be fined excluding that amount."

The appeals of co-defendant B (11 months imprisonment, 1 million KRW fine, 36 million KRW fine) and A's younger sibling (6 months imprisonment, 2 years probation) were all dismissed, maintaining the original sentences.

A was arrested and indicted in March last year on charges of conducting illegal foreign exchange transactions worth approximately 30 billion KRW by using Macau and domestic bank accounts to collect remittance fees from Korean nationals gambling abroad in Macau.

The prosecution confirmed A's misconduct during an internal inspection, dismissed him from his position, and conducted an investigation that led to the trial.