Park Soo-hong’s older brother and his wife appealed for leniency with ‘tears’ during the appeal trial on embezzlement charges. The brother, accused of embezzling 2 billion won, mentioned his “daughter’s panic disorder” and the sister-in-law said “everyday life has stopped” as they wept.
Charged with embezzling tens of millions of won, including Park Soo-hong’s appearance fees, the brother and his wife expressed their emotional plea for leniency with tears during the final appeal trial. The courtroom quickly became a sea of tears.
On the 12th, during the final arguments at the Seoul High Court’s 7th Criminal Division, where charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Certain Economic Crimes (embezzlement) were heard, Park’s older brother Mr. Park and his wife Ms. Lee tearfully stated in their final defense that “the family’s daily life has stopped.”
“Young Daughter’s Panic Disorder”… Brother Tearfully Appeals About ‘Family’s Suffering’
During his final argument, Mr. Park, the older brother, began by saying, “I reflect and repent every day for what has happened due to my fault.”
He said, “I cannot believe the reality where actions meant for my family have led to years of investigation, trials, and public criticism.” He continued, mentioning the health of his elderly parents, “My father underwent major surgery, and my mother is suffering from an illness.”
Particularly, Mr. Park choked up as he said, “Every time I see my elderly parents, and my young daughter who has developed panic disorder, my heart aches.” He raised his voice stating, “My family is innocent, yet we are being criticized and cannot lead normal lives.”
“Life Has Stopped for the Past 3 Years” Sister-in-law’s Lamentation
Ms. Lee, the sister-in-law, also broke into tears. She sobbed, “Our family has lived a life where daily life has halted for over 3 years.”
She expressed, “It is a fearful reality to wake up and see what has happened in the news.” When Ms. Lee showed tears, her husband, Mr. Park, was seen pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his own tears.
61 Billion Embezzlement Charge… First Trial Recognized ’20 Billion’, 2 Years Imprisonment
Earlier, Park’s older brother and his wife were charged with embezzling a total of 61.7 billion won while managing Park Soo-hong’s career from 2011 over the span of 10 years.
The first trial court judged only around 20 billion won of the embezzlement charges as guilty, and sentenced the older brother Mr. Park to 2 years in prison. The sister-in-law Ms. Lee, accused of conspiracy in embezzlement, was acquitted as “insufficient evidence of the crime.”
The outcome is awaited to see if the appellate court will consider the family’s tears, or impose a heavier penalty than the first trial.
