Singer-actor Choi Jung-won (45), who was a member of the group UN, received a suspension of indictment from prosecutors on a charge of special intimidation for allegedly threatening an ex-partner who had asked to break up with a weapon.
According to The Kyunghyang Shinmun on the 29th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's Second Division for Women and Children Crime Investigation decided on the 16th to suspend indictment against Choi Jung-won, who faced a charge of special intimidation. It also ruled there was no suspicion on violations of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (threats using recordings) and the Act on Punishment of Crime of Stalking, and did not indict.
A suspension of indictment is a system under which, even if a crime is proven, prosecutors do not bring a case to trial after comprehensively considering the suspect's age, motive, remorse, relationship with the victim, and other factors.
Earlier, in August last year, Choi Jung-won was sent to prosecutors on suspicion of going to the residence of A, a partner who had declared a breakup, holding a weapon and making threats to take the person's life or distribute related videos. Prosecutors found that the conduct of attempting to inflict harm accompanied by a weapon constituted a crime, but decided not to file charges after actively taking into account that A, the victim, expressed no desire for further punishment.
The allegation of blackmail using a video as leverage was closed with no suspicion due to a lack of clear evidence sufficient to prove the crime. As for the stalking allegation, the conclusion was that it was difficult to deem a violation of the law, given circumstances recognized that the two had been communicating normally up until just before the incident.
Meanwhile, Choi Jung-won, who entered the music scene in 2000 as part of the male duo UN, released a string of hit songs such as "Gift" and "Wave," earning love from the public.