Became Close with Entertainment Venue Manager in Prison
Directly Reported Drug Use Evidence to Police
A woman in her 20s who was arrested on charges of extorting 50 million won from the late actor Lee Seon-gyun was found to have reported evidence of drug use by a nightclub manager, with whom she had been close, to the police after their relationship soured.
A woman in her 20s, accused of threatening the late actor Lee Seon-gyun along with a female manager of an entertainment establishment to extort money, is attending a pre-trial detention hearing at the Incheon District Court in Michuhol-gu, Incheon. [Image source=Yonhap News]
According to the legal community on the 1st, Park (28, female), who was arrested on charges of extortion and attempted extortion, reported suspicions of drug use by nightclub manager Kim (29, female) to the police in October last year.
Kim and Park were first acquainted in prison and were understood to have lived in the same officetel and maintained a close relationship. Kim has a prior conviction and prison sentence for fraud, while Park has six prior convictions for drug use.
Park personally visited the Narcotics Crime Investigation Division office at the Incheon Police Agency and provided evidence such as Kim’s hair samples. As a result of Park’s tip-off, Kim was arrested on October 18 last year and was detained three days later.
Around the same time, Park contacted Lee, saying, "I’m going to have Kim, who used drugs, arrested, so I should get money too," and demanded, "Let’s recover all the money given to Kim and settle with 200 million won (to me)." At that time, Park and Lee did not know each other, but Park eventually received 50 million won from Lee.
Lee’s side suspected that Park and Kim conspired in the extortion case. This suspicion arose because Kim had said in September last year, "A hacker is trying to expose our relationship. We need to stop it with money," and had handed over 300 million won first.
However, the police believe that Park and Kim did not conspire. The police view that the background of Park reporting Kim, whom she usually called “unnie” (older sister) and was close to, as a drug user involves financial issues and the Lee extortion case.
Amid financial conflicts between the two, there is suspicion that Park thought if the police arrested Kim, her own extortion case against Lee would be buried. While the police suspect Park as the extortionist against Kim, they have not ruled out the possibility of other extortionists.
The police stated, "Since the investigation is ongoing, we cannot disclose specific details," and added, "Although Lee has passed away, the extortion case will continue to be investigated."
Meanwhile, experts believe that the real-time reporting of unconfirmed charges and specific investigation details caused Lee to feel psychological pressure, leading to his extreme choice.
A legal community official pointed out, "Lee was investigated three times, but no clear evidence emerged, yet investigation details were revealed too early through the media and YouTube," and added, "There should have been more attention to confidentiality as excessive interest and speculation could arise."
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