Yang Hyun-suk denies illegal importation of luxury watches...claims unreasonable prosecution at first hearing

YG Entertainment executive producer Yang Hyun-suk has strongly denied allegations that he illegally imported luxury watches into the country.

During the first hearing at the Seoul West District Court's 11th Criminal Division (Deputy Chief Judge Bae Sung-joong) on Friday, Yang Hyun-seok's defense attorney argued, "The watch was delivered to him in Korea and he never received it in Singapore." "The defendant wore the watch overseas for promotional purposes and returned it, and after returning home, he received it again in Korea as a sponsorship," he said, denying the charge of illegal importation."

The defense also emphasized that "in order for a violation of the Customs Act to be recognized, there must be evidence that the defendant had the watch in his possession when he entered Incheon International Airport, but there is no evidence to prove this."

Prosecutors alleged that Yang Hyun-suk received two luxury watches worth about 200 million won in Singapore in September 2014 and brought them into the country without a customs declaration. YG's representatives countered, saying the prosecution's charges were "unreasonable as the 10-year statute of limitations is about to expire."

"In 2017, Yang Hyun-suk dutifully underwent all investigations and voluntarily submitted the sponsored watches in question to the investigative agency," YG said, noting that "the statements of the company's representatives were inconsistent, and the prosecution did not sufficiently verify them."

According to the Customs Act, when importing goods from a foreign country, the name, specification, quantity, and price of the goods must be declared, and violators are punishable by imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 10 times the customs value. In particular, if the cost of the goods is more than 200 million won, the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Certain Crimes imposes a more severe penalty.

Yang Hyun-suk's next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10, next year, and is expected to be a debate on the issues and evidence in the case.