70-Year-Old Man Arrested and Indicted for Attempting to Extort Money by Threatening Lee Nak-yeon

70s Male A Arrested and Indicted for Attempted Extortion
Claims to Have Spent Tens of Millions KRW for Lee Nak-yeon 10 Years Ago
Sent About 30 Violent and Threatening Messages After Repayment Demand Rejected

A man in his 70s who attempted to extort money by threatening former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon has been detained and indicted.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Criminal Division 4 of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Nam Soo-yeon) announced on the 1st that they had detained and indicted Mr. A, an unemployed man in his 70s, on suspicion of attempted extortion on the 27th of last month.

According to the prosecution's investigation, Mr. A claimed that he had spent tens of millions of won for former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon 10 years ago and demanded repayment. When Lee's side refused, Mr. A reportedly sent about 30 text messages from August last year to May this year, threatening violence or damaging his reputation to demand money.

Lee's side stated, "Mr. A was also the person who threatened former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon with a weapon at a wedding hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, in July last year," adding, "He claims to have supported former Prime Minister Lee and spent a lot of money, but it is unclear whether he actually engaged in such activities."

After reporting to the police, the Jongno Police Station provided a smartwatch to Lee's side.

The prosecution is known to have requested an arrest warrant, judging that Mr. A poses a high risk of reoffending.