A female BJ who was indicted for extorting hundreds of millions of won from musical star Kim Junsu, a former member of the group TVXQ, has been sentenced to 7 years in prison in the appeals court.
According to the court on the 2nd, the Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 10-1 (Chief Judge Lee Sang-ho, Lee Jae-shin, Jeong Hyun-gyeong) held a sentencing hearing for a woman in her 30s, referred to as A, who was indicted for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (extortion), and sentenced her to 7 years in prison. The second trial also ordered the additional confiscation of one seized mobile phone and one smartphone device.
Previously, A appealed, claiming that the original sentence was too harsh, citing inappropriate sentencing, while the prosecution appealed on the grounds that the mobile phone and smartphone used in the crime were not confiscated, citing a misunderstanding of the law.
The second trial stated, “Both the mobile phone and smartphone were used in the commission of this crime, and they contained voice files of private conversations in which the defendant threatened the victim,” and added, “If the seized items are returned to the defendant without being confiscated, there is a concern for additional harm.”
It continued, “It is appropriate to confiscate one of the seized mobile phones and one smartphone device in accordance with Article 48, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of the Criminal Act. Therefore, the prosecutor's appeal is justified.” The second trial omitted judgment on A's claim of inappropriate sentencing.
Earlier, A was arrested and indicted for extorting 840 million won from Kim from September 2020 to October last year. It was found that A had threatened Kim by recording their conversations and threatening to distribute them on social media.
The first trial sentenced A to 7 years in prison last February.
Kim Junsu's side stated, “Kim Junsu has never committed any illegal acts,” and claimed, “A continued this threat because Kim Junsu is a celebrity, and she exploited public attention, knowing that the accused had no wrongdoing, yet continued these actions by abusing his position as a celebrity.”
