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“I was punished, but I didn’t pay the money back.”
"I embezzled and lived for a while, so I'm screaming with the money I stole..."
"If redemption is difficult, life must be returned, and the state must track and monitor it for the rest of its life."
"I'm so angry the whole time I see it. I wish the embezzlers would get all their money back and that the law be strengthened so that they don't think like this again, and that this never happens again."
Comments on the article 'Embezzlement Tracker'.
The lives of the embezzlers confirmed by the coverage were enough to arouse public outrage.
In the past, 'robbers of the times' were serving sentences, and although they were shifting daily jobs to avoid the eyes of people around them, no one was diligently repaying the money they embezzled.
Even though the amount of money to be returned was well over 10 billion won, there were even embezzlers living a normal life, similar to those of ordinary people.
'Don't stab a dead man, leave him alone'
This is the content of the first text message the reporters received from 'he', who lives an ordinary life.
He lives an ordinary life in an apartment in Seoul while enjoying his leisure life, although he may not know what it will be like in reality, but in the eyes of the reporters, he seems to be living a life similar to that of ordinary people.
After many twists and turns, they contacted me and asked for an explanation, citing various reasons and even asked me not to report it earnestly.
"Don't stab the dead, let them go."
"It can be fatal in itself to ask here and there."
“Because I am the wrong person and the weak, I will not say what I have to say in 30 years.”
These are the text messages he sent to reporters.
Of course, he was fully punished for the embezzlement he had committed.
He cannot be punished again for the same crime under the principle of 'one-on-one absence'.
As he said, it was a situation where additional damage could be caused by the coverage.
However, in the case of embezzlement, which was widely reported at the time, the people have the right to know how the embezzler is living, and moral responsibility cannot be avoided with the embezzlement money barely paid.
After much deliberation, the reporters decided to briefly document his deeds in the article, and to exclude anything that could suggest or infer who he was.
Even very specific details were tracked through the coverage, and it could have been included in the article, but after being punished, it was decided that his privacy should be protected.
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punishment to pay back
However, he is not the only one who cannot dig into his life after being punished.
The same goes for other embezzlers who have paid for their crimes, as well as suspects and defendants awaiting punishment.
When they too come out of the 'short' sentence imposed by the court, it is difficult for anyone to hold them accountable any longer.
In investigative agencies and courts, the low sentence for embezzlement, sentencing, and the custom of commuting the sentence if the criminal returns even a portion of the money until the trial still remains. It becomes the reason there is.
It is clear when compared to the United States alone.
In Korea, the recommended sentence for embezzlement of 30 billion won or more is 5 to 8 years.
In Texas, even if you embezzle 360 million won, you can get up to 99 years in prison.
In Korea, it can be argued that additional penalties such as fines and additional fines are imposed in addition to imprisonment, but as a result of the coverage, even this is almost useless.
If you don't pay the fine, that's enough, and the fine is forgiven by calculating 10 million won a day for labor.
This is the case of Mr. A, who embezzled 180 billion won from Dong-A Construction.
He was sentenced to a fine of 10 billion won, but the labor counts for 10 million won a day.
According to the current law, labor can be done for up to three years regardless of the amount of the fine, so if calculated on a prorated basis, it would be around 10 million won a day.
Plus it's now easier to hide your embezzled money.
Gambling in the past, and now throwing money in coins, makes it almost impossible to know where the money actually went.
It is time to re-examine the legislative assembly, judicial and investigative agencies, as well as whether the sentencing for embezzlement is appropriate compared to the weight of the crime, and whether it is the cause of the mass production of embezzlement.
There are several stories that I have heard during this interview.
"If the conclusion is 'It's okay to embezzle', it can encourage crime, so it shouldn't be."
However, the more I did the coverage, the more I couldn't get rid of the thought that Korea is a 'country that encourages embezzlement'.