Court Sentences 2 Million Won Fine
Used 1.8 Million Won Ticket Price to Repay Debt
Channel A's 'Heart Signal 1' cast member Mr. K was fined 2 million won on charges of fraud.
On the 3rd, Sports Kyunghyang reported that the Criminal Division 3 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Joo Young-sun) issued a summary order fining Mr. K 1 million won on June 27, and the court confirmed a fine of 2 million won for Mr. K on the 28th of last month. A summary indictment (summary order) refers to a request by the prosecution to the court for a summary order when it judges that the suspect's crime corresponds to a fine rather than imprisonment or detention.
The appearances of Heart Signal cast members[Image source=Channel A 'Heart Signal' broadcast screen capture]
Victim Mr. A transferred 1.8 million won last August after Mr. K proposed to purchase a European flight ticket at a low price. However, Mr. A did not receive the ticket until the day before the trip and eventually had to purchase a ticket at an additional cost. Mr. A demanded that Mr. K return the monetary damages, including the ticket booking cost. However, due to Mr. K repeatedly delaying repayment, only a partial amount has been recovered. During this process, Mr. A discovered that the ticket money he sent was used to repay Mr. K's personal debts.
According to a messenger conversation screenshot disclosed by Mr. A, Mr. K sent a lengthy message on July 28, saying, "I have nothing to say but sorry," and "I want to tell you that this is not a situation where I have money but am deliberately not giving it to you." Mr. A told the media, "If anyone around me had said this, I wouldn't have believed it. However, given the image known from the broadcast and the fact that the person’s face is known, I thought they wouldn't commit fraud." Regarding this incident, Mr. K claimed there was a misunderstanding and said he would send an explanatory statement to the media, but ultimately did not send it and reportedly refused further contact.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time that cast members of the dating reality program 'Heart Signal' have caused controversy. In the past, one cast member of the program was embroiled in controversy over school violence allegations, and some cast members were involved in academic fraud scandals. Also, Seo Eun-woo (formerly Seo Min-jae), who gained fame by appearing on 'Heart Signal Season 3' in 2020, was noted as the first female vehicle mechanic from a university graduate public recruitment at a major corporation during the broadcast, but later fell into a drug offender after methamphetamine was detected, receiving a 10-month prison sentence with a 2-year probation. Recently, due to allegations of fraudulent marriage and bigamy involving a non-celebrity cast member of JTBC's senior dating entertainment show 'Kkeutsarang,' the production team edited out all footage of the cast member from the broadcast.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
