A man in his 40s who extorted money by threatening an ex-lover to expose an affair with him was given a suspended prison sentence.
The Cheongju District Court Criminal Division 4 single-judge panel (Presiding Judge Kang Hyun-ho) said on the 4th it sentenced defendant A, who was brought to trial on a charge of extortion, to 10 months in prison, suspended for 2 years.
A is accused of threatening B, an ex-lover in their 20s, in June–July 2024 that B's husband would be told about the affair with A, and extorting about 3 million won from B over 27 occasions.
It was found that A sent B text messages such as "It would be fun if your husband finds out we talked on the phone" and "If I tell this, are you getting a divorce?"
Presiding Judge Kang said, "The victim appears to have suffered considerable mental distress due to this crime, but the sentence was set in consideration of the relatively small amount of damage and the fact that a settlement was reached with the victim."