South Korean Civil Servant Stole Money from Gov’t Small Business Fund to Gamble Online

A South Korean civil servant has escaped a jail term after admitting to stealing money from a government fund for small businesses to fuel his gambling habit.

The South Korean media outlet Newsis reported that the civil servant, an unnamed male in his 30s, worked as an administrator at the Gwangju Credit Guarantee Foundation.

The foundation is a part of the nationwide Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, a public fund that supports the growth of regional small and medium-sized enterprises.

Its operators say it helps small business owners foster their companies and revitalize local economies.

The court heard that the man “habitually embezzled money” from the fund to spend on online gambling platforms.

South Korean Civil Servant Stole Money 29 Times

A panel of judges at the Gwangju District Court’s Criminal Division found the man guilty of embezzling a combined total of 1.35 billion won ($919,400) on 29 separate occasions last year.

Presiding Judge Kim Song-hyun noted that the defendant abused his power while in charge of accounting and payment-related matters at the Gwangju branch of the foundation.

The judges sentenced the man to two and a half years in prison, but suspended the sentence for a period of four years. They also sentenced him to 160 hours of community service.

The court noted that the man was able to evade detection by replenishing the funds he embezzled using his salary payments.

Judge Explains Sentencing

Kim explained the reason for suspending the sentence, saying that the man was “a first-time offender with no criminal record” who “returned the money within a short period of time, effectively restoring the actual damage.”

“The court has taken all of these factors into consideration in determining the sentence,” Kim said.

However, Kim denounced the defendant for “committing crimes by taking advantage of the work processes he learned as an accountant.”

“When the fund discovered the embezzlement, the defendant made excuses, saying that he had only temporarily moved the money for a variety of legitimate reasons,” Kim said. “Considering the method, scale of damage, number of offenses, and duration, we judge that the nature of the crime is not light.”

Earlier this month, a South Korean broadcaster in South Gyeongsang Province reported that illegal dogfighting and associated betting syndicates are making a “rapid comeback.”

The ringleaders are allegedly exploiting police blind spots and legal loopholes to evade prosecution.

“Dogfighting ring members gather in groups, then quickly disband and move again,” an animal rights activist told the news network. “That makes detection extremely difficult.”