The head of the production company behind the Disney+ drama series "Big Bet" has been missing for four months and recently faced embezzlement charges.
Ahn Chang-hyun, former head of Arc Media — now known as Scene & Studio — which produced "Big Bet" and other titles, has been unaccounted for since early July, according to the Chosun Ilbo.
After Ahn stopped coming home and became unreachable for an extended period, family members filed a missing persons report with police. Officers reviewed CCTV footage, tracked Ahn's mobile phone location and took other steps to locate Ahn.
In late July, Unichem, a Kospi-listed auto parts manufacturer where Ahn had served as an inside director, filed an embezzlement complaint against Ahn, alleging misappropriation of 1.5 billion won ($1.13 million). Unichem had recruited Ahn as an inside director last year to expand into the entertainment sector, then dismissed Ahn on Tuesday after confirming the allegations. The company also produces "A Love Other Than Yours," a drama series currently airing on KBS.
Police are investigating whether Ahn fled to evade the investigation or met with an accident. The embezzlement case is being handled by the Seoul Seongdong Police Station, while the missing persons investigation falls under the Gyeonggi Province Ilsan West Police Station.
Because Ahn is now a criminal suspect, police can no longer share information about the missing persons search with Ahn's family, as doing so could constitute a leak of investigative information.
Ahn is a former broadcast producer who founded a content production company in 2019 and went on to lead Arc Media, which produced the Disney+ series "Big Bet." The show is a crime thriller following a casino operator pursued by, among others, a Korean desk unit of the Philippine police.
paq@heraldcorp.com
