Jeju: A district court on Thursday handed a suspended prison term against actor Hwang Jung-eum on charges of embezzling more than 4.2 billion won (US$3 million) from her agency to invest in cryptocurrency.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Jeju District Court sentenced Hwang to two years in prison suspended for four years for embezzling from the company that she wholly owns in 2022. Of the embezzled amount, she invested 4.2 billion won in cryptocurrency and used the rest to pay off her credit card and taxes.

Hwang admitted to all charges during the trial, noting that she fully repaid the embezzled funds earlier this year.

The bench said it considered her repayment of the embezzled funds and the fact that it was her first offense in determining the sentence.

Hwang debuted in 2002 as a member of the idol group Sugar before later leaving the group to pursue a career in acting. She has appeared in various popular TV series, including "Kill Me, Heal Me" and "She was Pretty."