Heavier Sentence Than Prosecution's Recommendation
But Avoids Immediate Detention
Kim Dongseong, a former national short track team member who was prosecuted for failing to pay child support for his two children, was sentenced in the first trial to a prison term heavier than what the prosecution had requested.
On December 10, Judge Kang Youngsun of the 14th Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court sentenced Kim, who was indicted without detention for violating the Act on Securing and Supporting the Implementation of Child Support, to six months in prison. This sentence is heavier than the four-month prison term requested by the prosecution.
The court stated, "Rather than immediately detaining the defendant, it seems more appropriate to compel the payment of overdue child support within a certain period in order to protect the minor children," and did not order Kim to be taken into custody in court.
Judge Kang explained, "When the defendant divorced his spouse in 2018, he was ordered to pay 3 million won per month for two minor children, but only paid a portion. At his request, the child support amount was reduced to 1.6 million won, and after a detention order was issued at the request of his ex-wife, he paid part of the overdue child support. However, for about three years and ten months since then, he has not paid any child support at all."
The judge continued, "As of the time of this ruling, the total unpaid amount appears to be quite substantial. Considering the defendant's age, career, health, and the reduced child support amount, there does not appear to be a justifiable reason for the non-payment. The defendant seems to prioritize maintaining his own standard of living over providing child support for his children, and has only vaguely mentioned a plan to pay, raising doubts about his genuine intention to fulfill this obligation."
The judge also warned, "Given that the ex-wife has petitioned for a severe punishment, it is necessary to impose a prison sentence commensurate with the defendant's culpability. While he is not being taken into custody at this time, if he fails to fulfill his payment obligations by the time of the appeal, he may serve the sentence."
Kim was indicted without detention on charges of failing, without just cause, to pay child support for the two children raised by his ex-wife, Ms. A, since 2019. During the trial, Kim stated that the unpaid child support amounts to approximately 90 million won.
Kim is a medalist who won gold in the men's 1,000 meters and silver in the 5,000-meter relay at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. He married a non-celebrity woman in 2004 and had one son and one daughter, but divorced in 2018. Kim is currently remarried to Minjeong In. In 2020, his personal information was disclosed on the "Bad Fathers" website, which publishes the identities of those who fail to pay child support, and in 2022, he was also listed by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family as a delinquent child support obligor.
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