South Korea’s Supreme Court on November 12 confirmed the acquittal of Ahn Sung-hyun, the former professional golfer and husband of actress and former Fin.K.L member Sung Yuri, bringing a definitive end to a years-long case over alleged bribes to list a cryptocurrency on the Bithumb exchange.
According to Herald Muse, the Supreme Court’s Second Division upheld the not-guilty verdict handed down by the Seoul High Court, clearing Ahn of charges including breach of trust and fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes. The court also sentenced former Bithumb Holdings chief executive Lee Sang-jun to two years in prison, suspended for three years.
Prosecutors alleged that in September 2021, Ahn and Lee accepted a request from businessman Kang Jong-hyun to have a coin identified only as “A coin” listed on Bithumb by November of that year, receiving tens of billions of won in return. Ahn was indicted without detention in April 2023 on fraud charges linked to the alleged backdoor listing deal.
The court said that since the credibility of Kang’s testimony could not be recognized, the charge that Ahn received 3 billion won through breach of trust could not be accepted. It also questioned testimony from rapper MC Mong that the first-instance court had relied on heavily, noting his evasive answers when unfavorable details came up under cross-examination.
The ruling closes a case that swung sharply between the lower courts. In December 2024, the Seoul Southern District Court sentenced Ahn to four years and six months in prison and ordered two luxury watches confiscated. He was taken into custody and later released on bail. In February 2026, the Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 13 overturned the verdict entirely, ruling that Kang’s account of handing over money for the listing lacked credibility.
Ahn debuted as a professional golfer in 2005 and coached South Korea’s national golf reserve squad from 2014 to 2018. He married Sung Yuri in 2017, and they have twin daughters. Sung Yuri first rose to fame with first-generation girl group Fin.K.L before becoming an actress, and she paused her activities amid her husband’s legal troubles before later returning to work.
With the Supreme Court’s decision, Ahn’s acquittal is now final, closing one of the most closely watched crypto-related cases involving a celebrity family in South Korea.
