The prosecution requested a one-year prison sentence for each of the two women who extorted approximately 200 million won from the YouTuber Tzuyang (real name Park Jung-won) through threats.
On the 18th, Judge Koo Chang-kyu of the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 12 held a second trial date for a woman in her 20s, Ms. A, and a woman in her 30s, Ms. B, who were charged with violating the Act on the Punishment of Violent Acts (joint intimidation). The prosecution requested a one-year prison sentence for both women.
The prosecution noted, "While the amount extorted is serious and the crime is not trivial, both women confessed to the entire act and showed remorse, and they have reached a settlement with the victim, so we hope the court will sentence each of them to one year in prison."
In the first hearing, when the judge asked the two women if they acknowledged the charges, they replied, "We acknowledge them." According to their attorney, they paid Tzuyang a total of 256 million won, adding the extorted amount to the settlement.
The lawyer for both women said that day, "It was an impulsive crime, and it appears that there was no intention to harm the victim from the beginning. Please show leniency, as the defendants are deeply remorseful."
In her final statement, Ms. A said, "I acknowledge all the charges and want to apologize to the victim." Ms. B also stated, "I deeply regret this and will never commit such acts again."
Ms. A and others are accused of extorting 216 million won from Tzuyang from June 2021 to November 2022 by threatening Tzuyang through her YouTube channel's producer, reportedly in collaboration with Tzuyang's former lover and former agency representative.
Last July, Tzuyang mentioned in a YouTube video, "Three years ago, my former agency representative (ex-boyfriend) brought up these two women, saying, '(The women) are threatening.' They suggested silencing me with my own money, and as a result, the producer had no choice but to go and meet the two women, leading to me giving them 216 million won over about two years."