"If You Don't Pay, I'll Report Environmental Issues"... Reporter Threatening Construction Sites Sentenced to Prison

Extorting Over 10 Million Won Through 11 Nationwide Threats
Suwon District Court Sentences 3 Years for Habitual Extortion

A man in his 50s who habitually extorted money by threatening to report environmental pollution issues or notify local governments if bribes were not given while visiting construction sites was sentenced to prison.

According to the legal community on the 3rd, the Criminal Division 11 of Suwon District Court (Chief Judge Shin Jin-woo) recently sentenced Mr. A (58), who was indicted on habitual extortion charges, to three years in prison. Mr. A, who is the representative and reporter of an internet environmental media outlet, was charged with visiting construction sites nationwide, including Anseong and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province and Asan in Chungnam, from September 2021 to April 13 of last year, threatening to write articles about environmental pollution issues at construction sites or report to the relevant authorities if he was not paid money.

He told construction officials, "There are many environmental reporters who want to expose illegal activities at the site," and "I will stop that, so please support me." He also told site managers, "I took photos at the site. I won’t report it, so give me some money," or took photos of dirt on the dump truck bed and said, "Do you know how much the fine is if I report the dust flying a lot? Please give me some travel expenses," using such methods to extort a total of 10.05 million won over 11 occasions and was tried on charges of two attempted extortions.

It was found that Mr. A had a history of being punished several times for committing similar crimes using the same methods in the past. The court stated, "This crime involved the defendant posing as an 'environmental reporter' and approaching construction site managers, threatening that if they did not pay money, he could cause disadvantages such as filing complaints about the construction site, habitually extorting money," and pointed out, "Despite having a record of five prison sentences and one suspended sentence for similar crimes, the defendant committed this crime again." Regarding the sentencing, the court explained, "The defendant appears to have repeatedly committed crimes without proper awareness of norms," and "He denies all or part of the crime with unacceptable excuses, showing no genuine remorse, making severe punishment commensurate with his guilt inevitable."