[Seocho-dong Legal Story] Middle School Students Targeted for Self-Harm Extortion over 'Unlicensed Kickboards'

"I don't plan to do anything big. Give me your mom's phone number."

On the afternoon of January 6, 2021, in front of a middle school in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, college student Hwang (21, male) deliberately collided with a 14-year-old middle school student riding an electric scooter and said this.

Citizens are riding electric kickboards in downtown Seoul. Only those holding a driver's license of "Class 2 Motorized Bicycle License" or higher are allowed to ride electric kickboards, and a fine of 20,000 won is imposed for riding without a helmet. The photo is unrelated to the article content.

To the connected parent, he threatened, "Your son told me not to report this to the police, so I didn't. He injured his wrist and ankle when he fell, so you need to pay a settlement. Otherwise, I will hire a professional lawyer to proceed with legal action and get hospitalized." As a result, 2.3 million won was deposited into Hwang's account as a settlement.

However, Hwang experienced two more similar incidents that month. All occurred in front of the same middle school, involving collisions with middle school students riding electric scooters.

The prosecution judged it as Hwang's planned crime. He deliberately caused accidents targeting students riding electric scooters without a motorized vehicle license and tried to extort settlement money from their parents.

Investigation revealed that Hwang also deliberately collided with minors riding motorcycles in October and November 2020, extorting hundreds of thousands of won in settlements from their parents. Notably, he was found to have decided on extortion crimes to fund gambling, having charged 87.8 million won in game money on illegal gambling sites. Hwang even involved so-called 'iljin' juniors in the crimes, having them find targets for accidents.

The prosecution indicted him on charges of coercion and extortion, violation of the National Sports Promotion Act (gambling, etc.), fraud, and attempted fraud. Two minor juniors involved in the crimes were also prosecuted together.

According to the court on the 5th, Judge Kwon Young-hye of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25 sentenced Hwang, indicted for extortion and other charges, to 1 year and 6 months imprisonment with 3 years probation. The sentence also included probation and 120 hours of community service.

Judge Kwon criticized, "He led the extortion crimes and involved other defendants, actively and deliberately committing crimes by exploiting the anxious psychological state of young victims facing distressing accidents and the desperate feelings of parents worried about their children's safety." She added, "The acquired benefits were squandered on gambling and living expenses, reflecting the bad nature of the crime."

However, she noted, "He confessed to most of the crimes and pledged not to reoffend. Some offenses were committed during his youth, and he compensated some victims," adding, "The defendant's family petitioned for leniency and showed willingness for rehabilitation."

Regarding the minor defendants, she stated, "Rather than punishment through criminal procedures, it seems more desirable to impose juvenile protection measures considering the characteristics of juveniles to promote healthy growth, behavioral improvement, and rehabilitation," and transferred the case to the Juvenile Division of the Seoul Family Court. Considerations included the family's affection and protective intentions, and the fact that the minors found it difficult to refuse orders from Hwang, who is four years older.