"Anyway, It's Illegal" 30s Man Who Didn't Pay Karaoke Alcohol and Hostess Fees Eventually...

Fined for Extortion and Other Charges Against Business Owner

A man in his 30s who threatened a karaoke room owner in Incheon with reporting illegal business operations after receiving alcohol and hostess services without paying was sentenced to a fine.

On the 13th, the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 10 (Judge Hyun Sun-hye) announced that it sentenced A (34), who was indicted for violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (joint extortion) and extortion, to a fine of 2 million won.

On October 18, 2021, at 8 p.m., A visited a karaoke room located in Namdong-gu, Incheon, together with his acquaintance B. There, he used the establishment for about four hours while receiving alcohol and hostess services.

(The photo is not directly related to the article.) [Photo source=Pixabay]

When the owner later demanded payment, A refused to pay, threatening, "Why should I pay when this is illegal?" and "You will probably get fined, so report me if you want, do whatever you want." A few days later, he visited the karaoke room again, received alcohol and hostess services for two hours, and intimidated the owner by saying, "I don't have a card, so report me or not," and again did not pay the 150,000 won fee.

The following year, he continued the crime using the same method at another karaoke room. In January 2022, he used another karaoke room in Namdong-gu for 10 hours, receiving alcohol and hostess services, but did not pay the 1 million won fee. When the owner demanded payment, A threatened, "I can't pay, so report to the police," and said, "The damage from business suspension and fines will be greater than receiving 1 million won."

Eventually, he was prosecuted for extorting the owner and not paying the fees. During the trial, A claimed, "At the time of the crime, I was in a state of diminished mental capacity due to bipolar affective disorder." Bipolar disorder is a type of mood disorder commonly called manic-depressive illness, characterized by swings between elevated and depressed moods.

The court ruled, "Even if A was in a state of diminished mental capacity, considering the circumstances of the crime, the situation after the crime, and the defendant's criminal record, it is inappropriate to reduce the sentence on the grounds of diminished mental capacity." The court also stated, "A did not make any particular efforts to compensate the victims, nor was he forgiven by them," and explained the sentencing by saying, "Due to the defendant's poor criminal nature, the amount of the fine in the summary order is appropriate."

Earlier, A appealed against the summary order of a 2 million won fine and requested a formal trial, but the first trial sentenced him to the same fine of 2 million won as in the summary order.