'Fraudulent Funding of Independence Movement Film Production' Former Lawmaker Kim Hee-sun Sentenced to 1 Year Imprisonment

The prosecution has requested a one-year prison sentence for former lawmaker Kim Hee-seon, who is accused of fraudulently receiving government subsidies by inflating production costs for a film related to independence activists.

On the morning of the 18th, during a trial at the Seoul Northern District Court Criminal Division 11 presided over by Chief Judge Lee Chang-won, the prosecution asked for a one-year prison sentence for Kim on charges of violating the Subsidy Management Act. For Kang Mo, a video producer also indicted on the same charges, the prosecution requested a fine of 2 million won.

Kim’s defense acknowledged the facts and evidence presented by the prosecution but argued, "However, since Kim was diagnosed with Alzheimer's dementia in 2021, her condition has deteriorated, and she now has difficulty remembering events from just 30 minutes ago."

Kim, who served as the chairperson of the Anti-Japanese Women’s Independence Movement Memorial Project Association, is accused of fraudulently receiving approximately 50 million won in subsidies by inflating the production costs of a film related to the 'Anti-Japanese Women Independence Activists Memorial Cultural Festival' from September to December 2021.

It was revealed that Kim instructed an association official, Mr. A, to double the film production costs in order to receive subsidies from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. The subsidies were paid to the film production company, and then half of the amount was returned under the guise of donations and used for the corporation’s operating expenses. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs detected signs of fraudulent receipt of government subsidies by the association in March last year and requested a police investigation.