'Marijuana Smoking' Hyosung Group Founder’s Grandson Receives Suspended Sentence in Second Trial

The third-generation heir of a conglomerate, who was indicted on charges of marijuana smoking, was sentenced to a suspended prison term again in the appellate court.

Seoul High Court, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

On the afternoon of the 24th, the Criminal Division 2 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Lee Won-beom, Han Ki-soo, Nam Woo-hyun) sentenced Cho (40), who was indicted for violating the Narcotics Control Act (marijuana), to one year in prison with a two-year suspension, the same as the first trial. He was also ordered to perform 150 hours of community service, attend 20 hours of drug addiction recidivism prevention education, and pay a fine of 2.5 million won. However, the probation ordered in the first trial was excluded, stating that "he participated in all treatment programs and was evaluated to have a low risk of recidivism."

The court said, "The amount of liquid marijuana purchased by the defendant is not small," but also considered "that he did not sell the purchased marijuana to others and smoked it alone, and that he has no prior record exceeding a fine."

Earlier, Cho was prosecuted in December of the same year on charges of purchasing and smoking marijuana four times from January to November last year. He is also charged with possessing 0.9g of marijuana in his car. He is the grandson of the late Cho Hong-je, the founder of the Hyosung Group, and serves as a director of DSDL, which separated from Hyosung Group.

The first trial sentenced him to one year in prison with a two-year suspension and ordered a fine of 2.5 million won. He was also ordered to undergo 130 hours of probation and community service, and 40 hours of drug addiction recidivism prevention education. At that time, the court pointed out, "Drug crimes are not easy to detect, have a high risk of recidivism, and have addictive and transmissible properties. They have a significant negative impact not only on individuals but also on public health and social order, so severe punishment is necessary," adding, "The amount of liquid marijuana purchased by the defendant is not small, so the culpability is not light."