A rental car company owner who blackmailed an idol couple with footage of physical intimacy has received a prison sentence.
On October 18, sources in the legal industry reported that Judge Gong Woo Jin sentenced the rental car company owner (hereafter referred to as “A”), who was convicted of blackmail, to eight months in prison, two years of probation, and 120 hours of community service.
In February of last year, “A” rented a van to a female idol through their rental car company. After the van was returned, “A” discovered dash cam footage of the female idol engaging in physical intimacy with a male idol inside the vehicle.
“A” then used the footage to extort money from the female idol, asking her in a text message, “What did you do in the back seat of the car yesterday? Didn’t you go too far?” Naming the male idol’s group, “A” threatened her and said, “If you won’t admit it even after I’ve said this much, then I’m left with no choice.” “A” went on to demand money by saying, “It cost me 47 million won [approximately $33,058] to buy the car. First, give me half of that.”
Even after the female idol paid him twice, “A” continued to blackmail her by bringing up the dashcam footage again several days later and threatening to release it if she didn’t pay more money. The terrified victim is said to have ultimately paid “A” a total of 9.793 million won (approximately $6,888) over three installments.
Although the judge rebuked “A” for committing this crime while already on probation, he also stated that while making his sentencing decision, he had taken into consideration the fact that “A” had admitted to the crime, expressed remorse, and returned most of the extorted money to the victim.
