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Prosecutors have requested a three-year prison sentence for actress Hwang Jung-eum on charges of embezzling more than 4.3 billion won from her own entertainment company.

During a sentencing hearing at the Jeju District Court on Aug. 21, prosecutors accused Hwang of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.

In her final statement, Hwang said, “I was living so busily that I failed to properly manage tax matters, which led to this situation,” bowing her head in apology.

Hwang, who owns 100% of the shares in Hunminjeongeum Entertainment, was accused of diverting about 4.34 billion won from company accounts into her personal account between early 2022 and December of that year. Investigators found she invested roughly 4.2 billion won in cryptocurrency, while the remainder was used to pay property and local taxes as well as credit card bills.

Her legal team noted that Hwang had repaid the entire embezzled sum in two installments on May 30 and June 5, submitting supporting documentation to the court.

Defense attorneys argued, “She invested in cryptocurrency believing it could help grow the company, but lacked proper accounting knowledge and thought repaying the money later would resolve the issue. That misconception led to this crime.” They asked the court to consider that the company was established solely to support Hwang’s entertainment career and had no other affiliated celebrities, and that full restitution had already been made.

When the allegations first surfaced in May, Hwang issued a public apology through her agency Y1 Entertainment, saying, “I am deeply sorry for causing concern with such a shameful incident. Wanting to expand the company, I entered into cryptocurrency investment around 2021 on the advice of others, even though I barely understood it. The funds belonged to the company, but since they came from my work, I made an immature decision.”

The final verdict in her case is scheduled for Sept. 25.