Actress Hwang Jung-eum, who was convicted of embezzling funds from her one-person agency to invest in cryptocurrency, has made her return through YouTube after 10 months.
In the first video uploaded to her YouTube channel "Hwang Jung-eum" on May 19, Hwang Jung-eum met with the production team and candidly shared her recent updates and feelings.
In the video, Hwang Jung-eum opened up about her recent days, saying, "A very big incident happened that many of you know about. I think I've been frantically busy trying to clean it up. This past year felt like just a single month. Fortunately, thanks to the help of many people, it was resolved well. I tried my best to take responsibility so that no one would suffer damages because of me."
Previously, Hwang Jung-eum resumed her broadcast activities after divorcing businessman A, a former professional golfer, while raising her two sons. However, as she went on trial for embezzlement, a commercial shoot she had filmed with fellow cast members of High Kick Through the Roof faced difficulties. Regarding this, Hwang Jung-eum confessed, "Although I paid all the penalty fees for breach of contract, I don't think that resolves my mistake. I felt so sorry to the production staff, the advertisers, and the fans."
Hwang Jung-eum also confessed to the psychological pain she experienced during her period of self-reflection. "Acting is the only thing I know how to do, so I wondered if I would ever be able to act again. I even thought that I might never be able to make a comeback. I had this vague fear of what I would do to make a living and how I would survive," she said, adding, "But I was able to hold on because of my children. I had to keep going because I am a mother."
Hwang Jung-eum, who shared that she had received comfort through social media from others who went through similar pains of divorce, explained her reason for starting YouTube: "Having gone through so much, I realized there are so many people in the world who are having a hard time. I want to communicate like a friend with single-parent families and mothers raising children alone." She added, "Since I failed in both marriage and making money, I hope others don't have to go through what I did. I want to tell them not to take the hard road and to go comfortably."
Lastly, Hwang Jung-eum added, "There will definitely be people who feel uncomfortable with me being on YouTube. They might say, 'Why is she showing up? I don't want to see her.' I think such reactions are only natural, and I accept them. I am the one who needs to ask for forgiveness."
Previously, Hwang Jung-eum was put on trial on charges of embezzling approximately 4.34 billion KRW from a family corporation in which she held a 100% stake to invest in cryptocurrency. Hwang Jung-eum's side admitted to all the charges during the trial, explaining that she had intended to grow the company through cryptocurrency investment. Since then, Hwang Jung-eum has fully repaid the embezzled amount, and in September of last year, she was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for four years, by the Jeju District Court.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)