First-instance prison sentence... 'Failure to pay child support' Kim Dong-sung repeatedly pleads for leniency [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Dong-sung, a former short track national team athlete sentenced to six months in prison in the first instance for failing to pay child support, has pleaded for leniency during the appeal trial.

The Suwon District Court Criminal Appeal Division 6-1 (Presiding Judge Kim Eun-jeong, Judges Kang Hee-kyung and Lee Sang-hoon) held a closing argument session for the appeal trial of Kim Dong-sung on charges of violating the Act on the Securing and Support of Child Support on the 4th.

On that day, Kim Dong-sung's lawyer, in his final argument, stated, "The defendant sincerely regrets his failure to pay child support" and pleaded, "He is preparing to repay by working as a day laborer before the sentencing date, so we ask for leniency."

Kim Dong-sung also stated through his final statement, "I did not intentionally withhold child support; I was unable to work, which caused a significant backlog in payments. Even if it takes time, I will strive to take responsibility and pay the overdue child support by working as a day laborer."

The Prosecution Service requested the court to dismiss Kim Dong-sung's appeal.

The appeal court will deliver its verdict on August 11.

The Suwon District Prosecution Service filed a non-custodial indictment against Kim Dong-sung for the aforementioned charges in October 2025. It is reported that Kim Dong-sung failed to pay child support to his two children, who are being raised by his ex-wife A, from 2019 to the present, amounting to over 100 million won. Child support recipient A filed a lawsuit for a child support payment order against Kim Dong-sung in 2020. Despite a court ordering a 30-day detention against Kim Dong-sung in 2022 for failing to pay child support, he did not pay 80.1 million won even after a year passed, leading to this indictment. Subsequently, the Prosecution Service sought a four-month prison sentence for Kim Dong-sung.

Kim Dong-sung's personal information was already made public on the Bad Fathers website in 2020, and in December 2022, his name was added to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's list of child support debtors who failed to fulfill their obligations.

Regarding this, Kim Dong-sung stated, "I have never evaded my responsibility to raise my children. At the time of the initial divorce, I agreed to pay 3 million won in child support monthly according to the other party's request, and even after the divorce, I have shouldered various costs along with child support, such as car rental fees and living expenses. However, significant debt accumulated during this process, and as my financial situation deteriorated rapidly, the child support was adjusted to 1.6 million won. Even so, I have continuously strived to pay this amount."

He continued, "Whenever my TV appearances were confirmed or coaching jobs began, media reports and interviews with my former spouse followed, repeatedly causing already confirmed appearances to be canceled or ongoing professional activities to be halted. Ultimately, the livelihood foundation I maintained collapsed, making it realistically difficult to pay child support. Since I lacked professional skills or job experience, finding new employment was not easy. The only option available to me in that process was day labor."

Kim Dong-sung added, "My former spouse filed a criminal complaint, and during the investigation, I explained in detail the circumstances that prevented me from paying child support. In fact, I had already paid a significant amount of child support to my former spouse, but after my income stopped and my livelihood collapsed, I could no longer afford it. Nevertheless, these backgrounds and circumstances were not covered at all, and only the fact of 'failure to pay child support' was emphasized. Subsequently, the unpaid period and amount were exaggerated in reports, making it appear as though I had not paid any attention to child-rearing after the divorce and had only lived my personal life."

Kim Dong-sung shared an article claiming he earned over 6 million won monthly and even sent his children to study abroad, pleading, "What is the reason for going this far? The facts are unverified... Do you want a divorce? Do you want Kim Dong-sung's destruction? Or do you wish for someone's death... It is so hard I feel like dying."

He also refuted, "The claim of hiding assets is completely different from the facts. I currently have no assets whatsoever and am a credit-impaired individual whose bank accounts have been seized. I submitted all these facts to the police investigation, and law enforcement authorities have already clearly confirmed them. If I had hidden assets, the other party would have presented at least some clues, but such claims or evidence have never been presented. It is merely a baseless claim contrary to the facts."

Kim Dong-sung also refuted claims that he said he would wait until his children turned 20, stating, "I have never made such a statement. On the contrary, I have repeatedly publicly stated that I will take responsibility and pay child support regardless of the children's ages." He explained, "It is true that I served as a youth ice skating coach for a certain period, but I could only end each contract on a short-term basis. It was not a matter of ability, but due to the other party's repeated and indiscriminate media exposure, I faced dismissal pressure at every workplace."

He further stated, "The claim that I earned 7 million won monthly is completely false. I briefly helped a friend's sink business to learn the trade, and when the friend had to quit due to circumstances, I temporarily took over the business at the request of my elderly parents. My wife and I commuted together, and the total amount we received in one month was only 3.5 million won. I am from a remarried family. My wife, In-min Jeong, has a daughter who is a U.S. citizen. She lived in the U.S. and then returned to Korea. Due to her ex-husband's situation, she has never received child support even once. In fact, she is currently under a court-ordered payment order."

Subsequently, the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 14 (single judge), which handled the first instance, sentenced Kim Dong-sung, who was non-custodially indicted for violating the Act on the Securing and Support of Child Support, to six months in prison in December 2025. However, the court stated, "Rather than detaining the defendant immediately, it seems more appropriate to protect the minor children by compelling the payment of the overdue child support within a certain period," and thus did not order Kim Dong-sung's detention in court.

The court ruled, "The defendant, upon divorcing his spouse in 2018, partially paid the 3rd million won monthly child support ordered for his two minor children. The child support was reduced to 1.6 million won at his own request, and after a detention order was issued upon his ex-spouse's request, he paid some of the overdue child support, but has not paid any child support for approximately three years and ten months since then."

The court continued, "The total amount of unpaid child support appears to be quite large as of the time of this verdict. Considering the defendant's age, career, health, and the reduced child support amount, there does not appear to be a legitimate reason for failing to pay child support. It is considered that the defendant prioritizes maintaining his own standard of living over paying child support to his children, and since he has only mentioned vague payment plans so far, there is doubt about whether he has the realistic will to fulfill them."

The court stated, "Considering that the ex-spouse has petitioned for a severe punishment, a prison sentence commensurate with the guilt is necessary. Although the defendant will not be detained in court, he may be imprisoned if he fails to fulfill his payment obligation until the appeal trial."

However, Kim Dong-sung appealed against the first-instance verdict. Subsequently, Kim Dong-sung's ex-wife submitted a petition to the court, pleading for a severe punishment for Kim Dong-sung.

Meanwhile, Kim Dong-sung was a star athlete who served as a short track national team member from 1995 to 2005. He achieved success by winning a gold medal in the 1000m and a silver medal in the 5000m relay at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. Kim Dong-sung recently announced that he had obtained a short track coaching certification.

Kim Dong-sung divorced his former wife, Ms. O, whom he married in 2004, by mutual consent in 2018 after 14 years. Later, in 2021, Kim Dong-sung appeared on TV CHOSUN's 'We Divorced' with In-min Jeong, whom he met after the divorce, and announced his marriage registration in May 2021.

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*This content was translated by AI.