Chairman of 'Gimgane' Franchise Referred to Prosecution for Embezzlement

Kim Yong-man, chairman of the popular franchise Gimgane, has been referred to the prosecution on charges of embezzling hundreds of millions of won in company funds.

The Seoul Seongbuk Police Station announced that it referred Chairman Kim to the prosecution on June 15 on charges of embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes.

Chairman Kim is accused of using approximately 400 million won for personal purposes between January 2023 and March 2024, which had been paid to the company by food ingredient suppliers under the guise of incentives.

The investigation also found that he siphoned off over 100 million won paid to the company by partner firms, including interior construction companies, kitchen equipment suppliers, and signage companies, under the guise of brokerage fees between January 2023 and May 2024.

It is reported that the police concluded the total amount embezzled by Chairman Kim reached approximately 600 million won.

Chairman Kim was previously indicted on charges of attempting to sexually assault a company employee and was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for five years, in his first trial this past May.

He was also dismissed from his position as CEO in April 2024 while the sexual assault investigation was underway, but returned to the position of CEO seven months later.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.