[Sportschosun Reporter Kim Jun-seok] Prosecutors have begun pursuing the recovery of criminal proceeds belonging to Kim Se-ui, head of the Garo Sero Research Institute, who was indicted and detained on charges including defamation after raising allegations against actor Kim Soo-hyun.
The advertising revenue identified by prosecutors alone amounted to at least 115 million won.
According to legal sources on the 15th, the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office completed the registration of a preservation order against land owned by Kim Se-ui on the 10th.
A preservation order is a measure that freezes property suspected of being criminal proceeds, preventing a defendant from disposing of it at will before a final judgment is issued.
From the detention-investigation stage, prosecutors tracked all sponsorship accounts belonging to the Garo Sero Research Institute and questioned company officials as witnesses. They also conducted an asset inquiry into Kim Se-ui.
Following the investigation, prosecutors determined that Kim Se-ui had received at least 54.4 million won in sponsorships and at least 115 million won in advertising revenue through content related to the defamation allegations involving Kim Soo-hyun. The estimated total criminal proceeds amounted to 169.4 million won.
Earlier, police calculated Kim Se-ui’s criminal proceeds at 5.44 million won and applied for a preservation order. Prosecutors petitioned the court for the order, but the court rejected the request in June, citing the relatively small amount of proceeds compared with the value of the real estate and insufficient need for preservation.
Afterward, the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Division collaborated with relevant departments to track the sponsorship accounts and question related parties, recalculating the amount of criminal proceeds at 169.4 million won. Based on the revised estimate, prosecutors reapplied for a preservation order, and the court granted the request.
Kim Se-ui faces charges including allegedly claiming through YouTube broadcasts and other media that Kim Soo-hyun had been in a relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron since she was a minor, and that pressure to repay debts had contributed to her death.
At the first preparatory hearing held on the 11th before Criminal Division 26 of the Seoul Central District Court, Kim Se-ui’s legal team denied all charges. Regarding the defamation charge under the Information and Communications Network Act, the defense also argued that the statements made during the broadcasts were not false and asked the court to acquit him.
Kim Se-ui’s legal team again expressed its desire for a jury trial. Kim Soo-hyun’s side, in response, conveyed to the court its concern that a jury trial could be used as an emotional public-opinion campaign.
However, the preservation order is a measure restricting Kim Se-ui’s disposal of assets in preparation for a possible future conviction and confiscation order. It does not mean that the recovery or confiscation of criminal proceeds has been finally confirmed.
narusi@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
