The mother of trot singer Jang Yoon Jung will stand in appeals court on November 19 after appealing a 10-month prison sentence for fraud, according to Ten Asia’s reporting of Star News.
Seoul Eastern District Court’s appellate division (1-2, criminal) has scheduled the first appeals hearing for November 19. Ms. Yook, 70, was indicted on charges of taking 31 million won from an acquaintance in three installments between September 2024 and August 2025, soliciting investments while invoking the name of her famous daughter.
Yook’s side admitted all of the charges. Her lawyer told the court the money had been needed for living expenses and credit-card payments and pleaded for leniency, adding: “Even if she had ten mouths, she would have nothing to say” for reoffending despite a prior record for the same crime. In her final statement, Yook wept as she apologized: “I truly did wrong by the victim and my family.”
At the August 27 sentencing hearing, prosecutors sought an 18-month sentence, arguing that she had already served prison time for the same type of fraud, that the amount was not small, and that no damages had been recovered. On September 10, the first-trial court handed down 10 months in prison, finding that the nature of the crime was “poor” and that victim recovery had not been made and was unlikely to be made, while weighing her confession, her age, and her difficult economic circumstances. Yook filed her appeal on October 15.
This is not her first conviction. In 2018, Yook was detained on charges of failing to repay more than 400 million won borrowed from an acquaintance.
Jang Yoon Jung’s side has drawn a firm line around the case. When the fraud allegations surfaced, her representatives said through outlets including JTBC’s “Sagun Banjang” that she has been out of contact with her mother for more than a decade, and that the case is an unrelated crime committed by Yook alone — a statement they said was made out of concern that more victims could emerge.
The appeals court will now revisit the case starting November 19, and whether the 10-month sentence stands will be decided there.
