Changwon District Court Sentences to 2 Years and 6 Months Imprisonment, Same as Original Verdict
Repeatedly Posted False Comments and Threats to an Unfamiliar Reporter
A man in his 50s who harbored resentment and repeatedly threatened and insulted a female reporter after being imprisoned for stalking her, despite having no prior acquaintance, was sentenced to prison again in the appellate court.
The Changwon District Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Kim Seonghwan) sentenced A (56), who was indicted for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (retaliatory threats) and other charges, to 2 years and 6 months in prison, the same as the original sentence, according to a report by Yonhap News on the 28th.
A was accused of posting defamatory comments about female reporter B on the comment section of articles written by B, from May to August 2022, about 30 times from his residence in Haman-gun, Gyeongnam Province. He also repeatedly posted false comments claiming that B had bullied her juniors, causing them to quit their jobs. In July of the same year, he threatened B by posting comments such as "You will suffer greatly from now on. I hold your leash. My tongue carries deadly poison" in a similar manner.
It was investigated that A committed these acts in retaliation after being accused by B in November 2021 of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (obscenity using communication media) and other charges. At that time, he was sentenced to one year in prison in September 2022 for posting numerous posts and photos that caused sexual humiliation to B on online communities and his YouTube channel, and the sentence was finalized in March last year.
However, A continued to harass B even after being detained. While in the detention center, A sent letters to B with drawings of women wearing only underwear and demanded, "Since I am locked up because of you, send me money for detention expenses." He also sent letters to B’s coworkers falsely claiming, "B sued me out of jealousy because I showed interest in other women." A and B had never met, and A began his crimes after seeing B appear on the company’s YouTube channel.
B filed additional complaints against A’s crimes, and A was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison in the first trial on April 1. The first trial court explained the sentencing by stating, "A not only protested his innocence or blamed B but also sent letters causing sexual humiliation and demanding money from B even while imprisoned. The crimes were repeated over a considerable period, and considering the victim’s extreme mental distress, anxiety, and fear of retaliation, the sentence was justified."
After the first trial sentence, the prosecution appealed, arguing the sentence was too light, and A appealed, claiming factual errors and that the sentence was too harsh. However, the court dismissed both appeals. The appellate court explained the dismissal by stating, "Even after conducting additional witness examinations and fact-checking procedures, the original judgment falls within a reasonable discretionary range and is justified."
After the appellate court ruling, B expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict, saying, "I discovered that A created obscene text materials featuring me as the main character before he was imprisoned, and I am still suffering extreme mental distress and even suicidal impulses. I submitted petitions several times during the appeal process asking for this to be reflected in the sentence, but it was not accepted." Due to the nature of her job, B’s personal information has been exposed, and she lives in fear of retaliation.
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