A woman known as BJ A, who extorted money from singer and musical actor Kim Junsu by threatening him, has received a confirmed prison sentence of 7 years.
The Supreme Court's 3rd Division dismissed the appeal of A, who was indicted on charges of extortion under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, and upheld the original sentence of 7 years. Previously, A had received the same sentence in both the first and second trials.
According to the court, A recorded private conversations with Kim Junsu illegally from September 2020 to October 2023 and threatened to distribute them on social media, resulting in 101 instances of extortion totaling approximately 840 million won. The appeals court also ordered the confiscation of the mobile phone used in the crime, citing the potential for further harm.
The court stated, "A systematically threatened the victim by exploiting their vulnerabilities and extorted a large amount of money over a prolonged period. The victim faced difficulties in daily life and economic activities due to continuous threats and reported severe stress and depressive symptoms."
A claimed in court, "At that time, I was struggling with propofol addiction, making rational judgment difficult," expressing remorse, but this was not accepted.
This case came to light when Kim Junsu filed a complaint. Kim Junsu's side revealed that they initially met A, thinking she was a nail artist, and expressed that they had suffered from continued threats and financial demands.
The agency, Palm Tree Island, stated, "Despite Kim Junsu being a clear victim, the essence of the case has been distorted, and he has become embroiled in unfair rumors," urging an end to further secondary victimization and malicious speculation.
Additionally, it emphasized that "the recording files used by A were merely private conversations and did not contain any potentially misleading content," asserting the unfairness of the illegal recording and affirming, "In this case, Kim Junsu is a clear victim."
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]