Seoul: The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court's suspended prison sentence for former lawmaker Youn Mee-hyang, who was convicted of embezzling funds donated to support women forced into wartime sexual slavery by Japan during World War II. The court confirmed the Seoul High Court's decision, which sentenced Youn to 1 1/2 years in prison, suspended for three years, citing no errors in the legal proceedings. According to Yonhap News Agency, the Supreme Court's ruling concluded a four-year legal battle that began with Youn's indictment in September 2020. She was charged with collecting significant donations in her personal bank accounts and using some of the funds for personal expenses while leading the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery. Youn headed the organization from 2005 until 2020, when she was elected to parliament with the Democratic Party (DP). The DP subsequently expelled her in 2021. In February 2023, a Seoul district court fined Youn 15 m illion won (approximately US$10,700), determining she embezzled 17.2 million won. However, the appellate court later found her guilty of embezzling around 80 million won and misappropriating 65.2 million won in subsidies from the gender ministry. .