40s Male Accused of Stalking 20s Female... Sentenced to Prison in First Trial

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] A woman in her 20s, accused of visiting the home of a man in his 40s despite a restraining order, was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

The Criminal Division 2 of the Seoul Western District Court (Judge Jang Youngchae) announced on the 26th that it sentenced A (29), who was indicted for violating the Stalking Punishment Act, trespassing, and property damage, to one year in prison and ordered her to complete 40 hours of a stalking treatment program.

According to the prosecution, A began to approach and contact B (40), whom she had known for 4 to 5 years, repeatedly from February despite B’s repeated refusals. At that time, A sent messages such as “Oppa, I’m struggling, please contact me” and “I hate you.” A is accused of sending messages or making calls to B a total of 25 times from April 10 to April 30. On April 30, A is also accused of asking a locksmith to open the front door of B’s residence in Seodaemun-gu.

Accordingly, from April 29 to June 28, the Seoul Western District Court issued a provisional order prohibiting A from approaching within 100 meters of the victim and the residence and from contacting the victim.

Nevertheless, starting around May 26, A is accused of stalking B 45 times until July 4, beginning with sending a message saying, “Oppa, it’s XX. Are you sick? Are you doing well? It’s been a while since I contacted you.” Subsequently, A sent messages such as “Am I disgusting? So I hope you stop badmouthing me and stop bothering me,” and “Did something happen to you? Are you married?”

On July 4 at around 5 a.m., A is also accused of trespassing into B’s residence by having the apartment security guard open the main entrance, pretending to deliver food.

Judge Jang pointed out, “A engaged in stalking behavior by calling or messaging the victim dozens of times and visiting the victim’s residence, and despite being notified of the provisional order, ignored it and continued the crime for a considerable period. The victim is believed to have suffered significant mental distress.”

However, Judge Jang explained the sentencing reasoning, stating, “A confessed to all the crimes and showed remorse, and except for one fine penalty for theft against the same victim, there is no other criminal record.”