By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The Supreme Court overturned Friday an appellate court's ruling that ordered Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo to give lectures and donate money to charity as community service.
The top court's ruling means Lee will be retried. Last September, an appeals court gave Chung a suspended jail term of five years on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust. The court also ordered him to give lectures to businesspeople and contribute articles to newspapers about corporate transparency, while acting on his commitment to donate 840 billion won to society by 2013 ― as community service.
Prosecution appealed to the top court, claiming lectures and donation are far from ``community service,'' which in previous sentences required physical activity, such as working at charity facilities.
``By law, community service means activity involving labor, not monetary donation. Also, the purpose of his lectures and articles is not clear and the ruling did not specify what subjects he has to deal with in them,'' the top court said in the ruling.
The top court also said the appeals court should have him retried, reviewing the suspended jail term as well.
The 70-year-old Hyundai Motor chairman was indicted for embezzling 90 billion won ($92 million) through accounting fraud to raise slush funds, causing damage to the group affiliates in a breach of trust.
The first court sentenced him to three years in jail, but the appellate court suspended the term for five years and ordered the lectures and contributions.