Two women, indicted for extorting over 200 million won from YouTuber Tzuyang (real name Park Jeong-won), were sentenced to prison by the first trial.
On the 20th, Judge Koo Chang-kyu of the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 12 sentenced a woman in her 30s, surnamed Song, to 2 years in prison with a 4-year suspension, and a woman in her 20s, surnamed Kim, to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 4-year suspension for charges of conspiracy to extort under the Punishment of Violences Act.
The court explained its reasoning for the sentencing, stating, "The crime period was long, and the extortion amount was significant, making the crime serious." However, it also noted that "the defendants acknowledged their responsibility and expressed their intention to apologize through their representative from the investigative stage. They also compensated the victim exceeding the extorted amount, reached an agreement with the victim, and the victim does not wish for punishment."
They are accused of extorting 216 million won from Tzuyang's side by threatening to reveal that they had worked at an entertainment establishment from June 2021 to November 2022 through the producer of Tzuyang's YouTube channel.
Ms. Song is also accused of attempting to extort an additional 15 million won in 2023 under the condition of not revealing personal information.
Tzuyang mentioned in a YouTube video last July, "Three years ago, my former agency's president (my ex-boyfriend) brought up these two women, saying that they were 'threatening me.' He suggested that I should use my money to silence them, and inevitably, the producer went out to meet with the two women, leading to a payment of 216 million won over a period of two years."