A Man in His 70s Who Threatened Lee Nak-yeon to Demand Money Receives Suspended Prison Sentence

A man in his 70s who was prosecuted for attempting to extort money by threatening former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon over a long period was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

On the 4th, Judge No Tae-heon of the Criminal Division 6 at the Seoul Southern District Court sentenced Na Mo (78), who was indicted while in custody on charges of attempted extortion, to 8 months in prison with a 2-year suspension.

Na claimed unilaterally that he had spent tens of millions of won for former Prime Minister Lee and threatened him, leading to his prosecution in June. Lee’s side refused repayment, and Na is understood to have sent about 30 threatening text messages that included physical threats and defamation from August last year to May this year.

The court stated the sentencing reasons, saying, “The defendant repeatedly committed extortion, showing poor criminal nature. Considering that this arose from a personal dispute rather than political motives or terrorism, we did not take that into account in sentencing. Instead, we comprehensively considered the amount Na attempted to extort and the fact that the crime was only attempted.” It was also taken as a mitigating factor that Na confessed to the crime and showed remorse.