"Frequency of Messages Enough to Cause Fear": Woman in Her 40s Fined for Stalking Hwang Jung-min

Formal Trial Held as Ms. A's Lawyer Pleads Not Guilty

Hwang Jung-min's Representatives Announce Additional Legal Action Against Defendant

The court has sentenced a woman in her 40s, who was tried on charges of stalking actor Hwang Jungmin, to a fine of 6 million won.

Yonhap News

On September 8, Judge Kim Young-ah, the sole criminal judge for the 4th division at the Goyang branch of the Uijeongbu District Court, sentenced Ms. A (a woman in her 40s), who was prosecuted without detention on charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes, to a fine of 6 million won.

Hwang Jungmin’s side has continued legal action, including refuting Ms. A’s claims, after filing a criminal complaint against her for stalking in August last year. In response, Ms. A posted messages and audio recordings, which she claimed to have exchanged with Hwang Jungmin, on her social networking service (SNS), arguing that she was subjected to “emotional abuse.” In February, she also filed a civil suit seeking damages, claiming that Hwang Jungmin had proposed a business and novel-writing partnership based on their personal relationship and then unilaterally broke it off.

The court had previously issued a summary order for a 3 million won fine in February. However, Ms. A objected and requested a formal trial, leading to the criminal proceedings. Ms. A’s attorney argued for her innocence.

During her final statement at the trial on August 11, Ms. A stated, “I won’t claim that I have only done the right thing over the past two years. There were moments when my emotions collapsed, and I did things I shouldn’t have,” but added, “However, the claim that I followed one person around for two years as a stalker is a completely different story.”

In contrast, the prosecution asked the court to impose a fine of 10 million won, citing several factors: the lengthy duration of the crime, the excessive number of one-sided contacts, the fact that Ms. A posted threatening messages about the victim and his family on SNS during trial proceedings, and that the victim has asked for a severe penalty.

At the sentencing hearing, Ms. A was absent, and only her attorney was present.

The court explained, “Based on the frequency and number of messages, it is recognized that the victim experienced anxiety and fear,” and added, “It is judged that the defendant was also aware that the victim did not want any further contact.”

Meanwhile, Sam Company, Hwang Jungmin’s agency, issued an official statement after the first trial verdict, saying, “We deeply respect the court’s judgment.” The agency also stated, “Regardless of the outcome of the first trial, we are planning all possible legal actions in response to the continued spread of false information and the release and dissemination of maliciously edited audio recordings during the trial.”

They further announced, “We will hold the defendant legally responsible for any additional actions, with no leniency,” signaling additional legal measures to come.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.