Yoon Mee Hyang speaking at the Wednesday Rally in Seoul (©Justice for Comfort Women Facebook)
On November 14, South Korea's Supreme Court upheld the guilty verdict against ex-lawmaker and activist Yoon Mee Hyang. Yoon's sentence of one year and six months in prison with three years of probation will stand. The defendant was indicted back in 2020 on eight separate charges, including embezzlement and fraud.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court stated: "The appellate court's conviction did not err in its understanding of the legal principles related to evidence, the presumption of innocence, or conspiracy, nor did it fail to make necessary judgments."
Profiting Off Comfort Women
This case came to light in May 2020 when former comfort woman Lee Yong-soo held press conferences to expose Yoon Mee Hyang. In two public statements, Lee accused Yoon of exploiting comfort women and profiting off their suffering. Yoon's actions allegedly took place while she headed South Korea's largest comfort women support group, The Korean Council.
At the time, Yoon had been elected as a proportional representative in the 2020 April general elections. In other words, she was under investigation even before her parliamentary term began.
Prosecutors indicted Yoon Mee Hyang in September 2020, four months after the initial allegations were made. She was charged with embezzling over ₩100 million KRW ($71,000 USD) in donations from the civic group Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. It was the successor to the Korean Council, where she served as the chairwoman.
Prosecutors also alleged the defendant illicitly collected ₩4.2 billion ($3 million) in donations and unlawfully received ₩367.5 million ($260,000) in government subsidies. In February 2023, the trial court found Yoon guilty of embezzling about ₩17 million ($12,000) and fined her ₩15 million ($10,000).
However, in September of 2023, the appellate court raised the amount of embezzlement to ₩80 million ($57,000). It then found Yoon Mee Hyang guilty of violating the Donation Act and Subsidy Act. She was also convicted of illegally raising ₩130 million ($93,000) in funeral funds for Kim Bok-dong, a former comfort woman, under her personal name.
'Delayed Justice'
Additionally, Yoon was charged with falsely inflating labor costs and unlawfully receiving ₩65.2 million ($46,000) in subsidies from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and other organizations. The appellate court elevated the defendant's sentence to one year and six months in prison, with three years of probation.
Yoon Mee Hyang denied all charges and appealed the verdict. The prosecution also filed an appeal, challenging her claim of innocence.
Responding to the flurry of activity, the Supreme Court delayed the case for another year and a half. In South Korea, if a lawmaker is convicted with a prison sentence, he or she automatically loses their seat. Yoon was not at risk of losing hers, however. She had already completed her full term and left office in May 2024 before her final sentencing. Yoon received over ₩600 million (nearly $430,000) in salary over her four-year tenure.
Legal experts and individuals familiar with the case have called the verdict delayed justice. Former Yonsei University Professor Lew Seok-choon said the punishment is "insufficient."
Anti-Japan Activist Responds
"Yoon received a suspended sentence for embezzling funds intended for comfort women, a deplorable crime," Lew told JAPAN Forward. "Although the offense occurred during her tenure as a lawmaker, the sentence was finalized only after she left office, rendering the conviction ineffectual."
In a statement, the Justice for Comfort Women said, "We take the Supreme Court's ruling seriously and will promptly fulfill the responsibilities outlined in the decision, including returning the subsidies from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family."Meanwhile, Yoon Mi Hyang is a well-known name in Japan. During her time as assemblywoman, she attended an event organized by the pro-North Korean group Chosen Soren in Tokyo. In July 2023, she and a few other lawmakers staged a demonstration protesting against releasing treated water from Fukushima before the Prime Minister's Residence in Japan.
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Author: Kenji Yoshida
