The manager of an entertainment establishment who extorted approximately 300 million won from actor Lee Sunkyun by blackmail has been released.
According to the legal community on July 3, A (31, female), the manager of the entertainment establishment who was indicted on charges including extortion, was recently released from Incheon Detention Center following a decision to grant bail.
Seoul Seocho-gu Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (photo to aid article understanding). Photo by Kang Jinhyung
The Criminal Appellate Division 3 of the Incheon District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Choi Sungbae, granted bail to A ex officio on June 26. It was confirmed that the court granted bail because A's detention period was set to expire before the appellate court's sentencing hearing scheduled for July 16.
Under the Criminal Procedure Act, the detention period in appellate proceedings, such as appeals or further appeals, can be extended up to three times, each for two months. In A's case, the detention period was renewed three times after the first trial verdict, from December 31, 2023, to May 8, 2024.
In September 2023, A was arrested and indicted on charges of calling Lee and saying, "My mobile phone has been hacked and I am being blackmailed. I need money to keep things quiet," and then extorting 300 million won from him.
According to the police investigation, the hacker who blackmailed A at the time was later found to be B (30, female), a former actress who lived in the same apartment complex and was personally acquainted with A. In the first trial, A and B were sentenced to three years and six months, and four years and two months in prison, respectively. Both appealed the verdict and are currently undergoing the second trial.
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