Park Gyuri, member of the K-pop group KARA, has been named a witness in the high-profile fraud trial of her ex-boyfriend Song Ja Ho, CEO of Pica Project.
According to reports from Sports Kyunghyang on July 15, Park has been listed as a witness in the ongoing trial at the Seoul Southern District Court on July 16. The case is being handled by the 12th Criminal Division and involves multiple fraud-related charges against Song and others.
If Park Gyuri appears in court, her testimony will be held behind closed doors. However, her attendance remains uncertain as she is currently staying overseas.
Song Ja Ho was indicted in July 2023 on charges including fraud, breach of trust, obstruction of business, and violations of the Capital Markets Act. Prosecutors allege that Song raised investments for artworks that had not been secured, manipulated the value of a virtual asset called PicaCoin, and caused significant investor losses. The case also involves Lee Hee Jin and his brother, infamously known as the “Cheongdam-dong stock-rich brothers.” The indictment states that approximately 33.9 billion KRW (approx. 24.2 million USD) was misappropriated, with over 14,000 victims.
Song, the eldest grandson of a former chairman of Dongwon Construction, dated Park Gyuri publicly between 2019 and 2021. At the time, he was introduced as an art curator. Their relationship attracted media attention, especially after it was revealed that the couple had a 12-year age gap, not the 7 years previously reported.
During her relationship with Song, Park Gyuri held the title of Chief Communications Officer (CCO) at Pica Project. She was previously summoned by prosecutors as a reference witness. At the time, she stated, “I was not involved in any illegal activity related to the cryptocurrency business. I did not gain any unjust profit. I was only questioned as a reference witness with no direct involvement in the art coin project and cooperated fully with the investigation.”
Park Gyuri’s agency has yet to respond to inquiries regarding her attendance at the trial.
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