An employee at an agricultural corporation in Gangwon Province, who stole tens of billions of won worth of Hanwoo (Korean beef) belonging to the cooperative, sold it at bargain prices, and pocketed the proceeds, has been sentenced to a heavy prison term.

On September 10, the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 2 sentenced a man in his 30s, identified as A, to five years in prison during his sentencing trial for charges including aggravated embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes, theft, and illegal use of a motor vehicle.

A was put on trial for stealing approximately 4 billion won worth of Hanwoo across some 1,000 instances from June 2021 to February of this year, selling the beef at bargain prices to supermarkets and restaurants, and pocketing the proceeds.

A also stole approximately 9 million won worth of Hanwoo from the cooperative's freezing warehouse, and illegally used a vehicle belonging to the cooperative in the process.

While investigating the embezzlement circumstances, police uncovered that A, while in charge of shipping and delivery tasks, secretly smuggled out packaged meats such as sirloin, tenderloin, and strip loin, and manipulated transaction statements to make it appear as though inventory still remained.

A sold the Hanwoo at prices 30 to 50 percent cheaper than market value, pocketing about 2.3 billion won in proceeds.

If sold normally through the cooperative, the amount would have reached 4 billion won.

A, who resigned from the cooperative in March, stated that he committed the crimes to secure living expenses, but the investigation revealed that most of the money was used for illegal gambling funds or invested in cryptocurrencies.

Ultimately standing trial in custody, A admitted to all charges.

The court explained the reasoning for the sentencing, stating, "The nature of the crime is very poor as it was committed by exploiting his positional authority, restitution of damage has not been made to date, and he has not been forgiven by the victimized corporation. However, the sentence was determined by considering factors such as his admission of the crime and showing an attitude of remorse."

Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Kim Min-ji | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News