Court Points Out, "You Should Have Paid at Least a Little"
Former short track speed skater Kim Dong-Sung (45) has been put on trial for failing to pay child support for his two children and has been sentenced to four months in prison by the prosecution.
On November 14, during the final hearing at the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 14, presided over by Judge Kang Youngsun, the prosecution requested this sentence, stating, "We considered the fact that the defendant failed to fulfill his obligation to provide support, causing both economic and psychological harm to his children."
Previously, Kim was indicted without detention for failing, without justifiable reason, to pay child support (1.5 million won per child per month) for his two children in the custody of his ex-wife, Ms. A, since 2019. The unpaid child support reportedly amounts to about 90 million won.
Kim's attorney argued, "The defendant is remorseful. While he admits his wrongdoing, it was not malicious. He is making a living through manual labor and intends to pay the child support by any means possible, so we ask for leniency."
In his final statement, Kim said, "It is true that I was wrong not to pay until now. I am currently working as a day laborer and will make a plan to pay a certain amount every month." He added, "I am working to regain my coaching license and establish myself as a coach. Please give me a little more time and watch over me."
When Judge Kang asked, "Even if your financial situation is difficult, it would be understandable if you had made at least partial payments, but that was not the case, was it?" Kim replied, "It is not true that I paid nothing at all. My current wife paid 14 million won. No matter how much I earn in the future, I will pay it back little by little."
Judge Kang stated, "The victim has submitted a petition for severe punishment," and announced that after reviewing Kim's child support payment plan and considering various circumstances, the final sentence would be determined. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. on December 10.
Kim Dong-Sung married Ms. A in 2004 and had one son and one daughter, but they divorced in 2018. He later remarried Ms. In Minjeong, whom he met through a TV program in 2021.
Since 2022, Ms. A has reported Kim's information to the website 'Bad Fathers,' which publicly discloses the identities of child support delinquents, claiming she had not received child support. In subsequent media interviews, she also stated that she was experiencing financial difficulties due to not receiving the agreed-upon child support.
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