Daewe Winia Chairman Park Young-woo Sentenced to 4 Years for Unpaid Wages

 

 

 

 

Park Young-woo, chairman of Daewe Winia Group, who was prosecuted for failing to pay hundreds of billions of won in wages and severance to workers, has been sentenced to four years in prison in the first trial.

On the 19th, the Criminal Division 2 of the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jin-hyuk) sentenced Chairman Park to four years in prison on charges of violating the Labor Standards Act. However, he was acquitted of embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.

Three former and current CEOs of Winia Electronics, who were also involved in the case, were sentenced to six months to three years in prison, with suspended sentences ranging from two to four years. Kim, who was indicted along with Park as his chief secretary, was also acquitted of embezzlement charges.

In its ruling, the court stated, "Chairman Park, as the de facto business manager responsible for making managerial decisions, large-scale financial expenditures, and executive appointments, is accountable for paying workers’ wages."

The court further pointed out, "Over 800 workers suffered unpaid wages amounting to hundreds of billions of won, and most of them faced extreme financial hardship. However, Park failed to present any repayment plan."

The court emphasized, "Park attempted to evade responsibility, and the severity of his crimes is grave, warranting strict punishment." However, it also noted that "he has no prior record of similar offenses or previous criminal convictions."

Following the verdict, anger erupted from the courtroom audience. Kang Yong-seok, head of the Winia Electronics Labor Union under the Korean Metal Workers' Union, expressed deep disappointment, stating, "Chairman Park faced trial without any concrete financial plans and even smiled after the sentencing."

Meanwhile, Park was indicted for failing to pay wages and severance totaling approximately 47 billion won to about 800 employees of Winia Electronics and Winia from October 2020 to December 2023.

Additionally, he was accused of transferring 1 billion won to his personal account without board approval on October 4, 2023, just before filing for corporate rehabilitation, but was acquitted of this charge.

Separately, Park is also facing trial at the Gwangju District Court for failing to pay 11.4 billion won in wages and severance to 251 employees of a Gwangju-based affiliate between 2022 and 2023.

Prosecutors have additionally charged Park, alleging that he directly managed Winia Electronics Manufacturing through the group’s secretarial office.

출처 : 산경투데이 https://www.sankyungtoday.com

 

 

 

https://www.sankyungtoday.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=50875

Daewe Winia Chairman Park Young-woo Sentenced to 4 Years for Unpaid Wages