Man in His 30s Receives Suspended Prison Sentence for Secretly Recording Wife’s Car and Submitting as Evidence in Divorce Case

A man who installed a recording device in his spouse's vehicle and used the recordings as evidence in divorce proceedings has received a suspended prison sentence.

The Changwon District Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Kim Seonghwan) announced on the 26th that it had sentenced a man in his 30s, referred to as Mr. A, to eight months in prison with a two-year suspension and a one-year suspension of qualifications. He was charged with violating the Protection of Communications Secrets Act for installing a recording device in his spouse's car and recording phone conversations.

Changwon District Court, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Se Ryeong Lee

Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of attaching a recorder beneath the front passenger seat of his spouse's car in January last year and allegedly recording conversations between his spouse and a man suspected to be in an extramarital relationship with her.

It was found that Mr. A submitted these transcripts as evidence in divorce proceedings.

The court stated, "Secretly recording conversations between others and releasing such recordings, regardless of the motivation, constitutes an invasion of privacy and cannot be considered a minor offense. However, in determining the sentence, the court took into account that the defendant admitted to the crime, is remorseful, and has no previous criminal convictions, making this a first offense."

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