40s Sentenced to 8 Months in Prison for Text Threatening to Reveal Affair

Blackmail Threats to Extort Money Without Any Body or Back Footage
Court: Victim and Spouse Likely Suffered Significant Mental Distress

A man in his 40s who was prosecuted for blackmailing and threatening a woman with whom he had an extramarital affair was sentenced to imprisonment.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Joo-eun Lee] A man in his 40s was sentenced to eight months in prison for threatening to reveal an affair to the husband and distribute videos in order to extort money after a woman he was having an extramarital relationship with demanded a breakup.

On the 23rd, the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch Criminal Division 1 (Judge Min-ah Gong) announced that A (49), who was tried on charges of intimidation and attempted extortion, was sentenced to eight months in prison.

A and B (43) met at a restaurant in Wonju City in July last year and began an extramarital relationship in August.

After continuing the affair for a month, when B asked to break up, A sent threatening messages to B in mid-September of the same year, saying that if B wanted to break up, she would have to inform her husband about the affair.

Later, when B refused to meet, A sent messages threatening to distribute videos allegedly taken of B’s body, even though no such videos existed, in order to recover 5 million won spent on dating expenses.

After receiving extortion threats from A, B, after much consideration, confessed the affair to her husband and reported to 112 that she was being demanded 5 million won under the pretext of exposing the affair and distributing videos.

The court stated, "It is clear that the victim and her spouse suffered considerable mental distress due to the defendant’s crime," and added, "Considering various circumstances, a prison sentence is imposed," explaining the sentencing rationale.