"What Were You Doing in the Car?"... Rental Car Operator Extorted Money After Seeing Female Idol's Affectionate Moment on Black Box

Repeated Extortion Using Black Box Footage as Leverage
Court: "Suspended Sentence in Consideration of Admission of Guilt and Return of Extorted Money"

A rental car operator who extorted money by using private footage of an idol couple recorded on the rental car's black box was found guilty in court.

According to the legal community on October 19, Judge Gong Woojin of the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 14 sentenced rental car operator A, who was tried on charges of extortion, to eight months in prison with a two-year suspended sentence, and ordered 120 hours of community service. This verdict is now final.

A rental car operator who extorted money by using private footage of an idol couple recorded on the rental car's black box was found guilty in court. (Photo for illustrative purposes only, unrelated to the article content). Pixabay

In February of last year, A rented out a van to a female idol through his rental car company. After the vehicle was returned, he checked the black box and discovered footage of the female celebrity engaging in affectionate behavior inside the car with a man presumed to be a male idol member.

Subsequently, A devised a plan to extort money using this footage and sent a text message to the victim, saying, "What were you doing in the back seat of the car yesterday? Don't you think that's too much?" He then pressured her further by mentioning the male idol's group name and adding, "I've said this much, but if you don't admit it, there's nothing more I can do." He also made an explicit monetary demand, saying, "It cost me 47 million won to buy the car. Just give me half for now."

The threats did not stop there. Even after receiving money from the victim twice, A contacted her again, referencing the black box by saying, "That gets recorded in real time. It just keeps going," and continued to threaten her with the possibility of distributing the footage.

In the end, it was revealed that the victim transferred a total of 9,793,000 won to A in three separate payments.

In its ruling, the court pointed out, "It is a disadvantageous factor that the defendant committed the crime during a previous probation period." However, the court also explained the sentencing background by noting, "Most of the extorted money has been returned to the victim, and the defendant has admitted to the crime and shown remorse."

Under the Criminal Act, the crime of extortion applies when someone acquires another person's property or financial benefits through threats. The maximum penalty is up to ten years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won.