'Suspicion of Misuse of Donations' Yoon Mi-hyang's First Trial on the 26th of Next Month

Yoon Mi-hyang, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The first trial of Yoon Mi-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea accused of embezzlement and fraud in the misuse of donations to the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeondae), will be held next month.

According to the court on the 22nd, the Criminal Division 11 of the Seoul Western District Court (Chief Judge Lee Dae-yeon) will hold Yoon's first trial session at 2:30 p.m. on the 26th of next month. The court assigned the case to a collegiate panel, considering the significant social impact of the case.

Earlier, on the 14th, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office indicted Yoon without detention on charges including violation of the Act on the Management of Subsidies, fraud, violation of the Act on the Solicitation of Donations, and embezzlement. Mr. A, a director of Jeonguiyeondae and executive director of Jeongdaehyeop, was also indicted as an accomplice on some charges.

The prosecution judged that Yoon illegally received about 170 million won in donations into a personal account under the name of funeral expenses for Grandmother Kim Bok-dong. Among these, raising 330 million won through five personal accounts and using 57.55 million won for personal purposes was regarded as embezzlement. Additionally, Yoon was charged with quasi-fraud for conspiring with the director of the Mapo Shelter to exploit the mental and physical disabilities of the comfort women victim grandmother, causing her to donate or gift 79.2 million won to Jeonguiyeondae in nine installments.

Following a press conference in May by Grandmother Lee Yong-soo, a victim of the Japanese military 'comfort women,' criticizing the fund management of victim support organizations, civic groups filed complaints against Jeonguiyeondae. In addition, the third lawsuit for the return of donations filed by five donors to Jeonguiyeondae and 'Nanum-ui Jip' against Yoon, Jeonguiyeondae, the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, and Nanum-ui Jip was assigned to Civil Division 33, Judge Han Hye-yoon, at the Seoul Western District Court.