The former Ministry of Foreign Affairs employee who sold Jungkook’s hat for 10 million won eventually turned themselves in to the police

It is reported that the person who sold BTS Jungkook’s hat on the secondhand market has voluntarily surrendered and submitted the hat to the police.

Recently, there is a controversy over BTS Jungkook’s hat being sold on the secondhand market. Seller A, who claimed themselves as a public official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made a post selling the hat worn by BTS Jungkook for 10 million won. 

However, the police confirmed that they had never received any report of lost items for this hat. When the case was pointed out to be a crime of theft under Criminal Law, the post on the secondhand market was deleted.

The controversy did not stop there. Since A introduced themselves as a former employee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this issue even led to an inspection of state administration.

On October 24th, Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin said, “Specific details, such as identities, are personal information, so it’s difficult for us to reveal anything”, adding “We are conducting an internal investigation on specific persons”.

In relation to this issue, Hankyoreh exclusively reported on October 25th that A turned himself in to the police and submitted the controversial hat. 

Accordingly, Seoul Seocho Police Station has been conducting an internal investigation before revealing this in national newspapers. After the post on the secondhand market became a public issue, A went to a district police office in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do and turned themselves in on October 18th. They also informed the police that they were a public official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

The charges that apply to A are likely to vary depending on the background of the case, including the position that A was in charge of. If convicted of theft, A would be sentenced to up to 6 years in prison with a fine of up to 10 million won. If A was a lost and found management employee, the situation would be worse. They would be imprisoned for 10 years and fined up to 30 million won for embezzlement. If this case was simply an embezzlement of lost property, A can be sentenced to one year in prison and fined 3 million won. 

Source: dispatch