Lawmaker fined $11,900 for embezzling funds donated to sexual slavery victims
Rep. Youn Mee-hyang arrives at the Seoul Western District Court to attend a hearing on her alleged embezzlement case, Feb. 10. Yonhap
Independent lawmaker Youn Mee-hyang was sentenced by a court to a fine of 15 million won ($11,900) on Friday for embezzling funds donated to help support women who were forced into wartime sexual slavery by Japan during World War II.
Youn was indicted in 2020 for collecting hundreds of millions of won in donations to her private bank accounts and spending some of that money for personal matters, while heading a major civic group for wartime sexual slavery victims, the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery.
Youn led the group between 2005-20 before winning a parliamentary seat on the Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) ticket in 2020. The DPK expelled Youn in 2021, and she has since been an independent. (Yonhap)