'Hwang Jung-min stalking' A found guilty... fined 6 million won, sentenced "Caused anxiety and fear" [Star Scene] [Comprehensive]

*This content was translated by AI.

A person identified as A was found guilty of charges related to stalking actor Hwang Jung-min. The court ruled that A engaged in stalking behavior, such as persistently sending messages despite being aware of Hwang's refusal of contact.

On the 8th at 10 a.m., Judge Kim Yeong-a (Director) of the Criminal Division 4 at Goyang Branch of the Uijeongbu District Court conducted a sentencing hearing for A's violation of the Stalking Punishment Act and other charges. A did not appear in court; only A's defense lawyer and Hwang Jung-min's defense lawyer attended.

On that day, the court sentenced A to a fine of 6 million won and ordered completion of a 40-hour stalking treatment program.

The court determined that A engaged in stalking behavior, such as persistently sending messages despite being aware of Hwang's refusal of contact.

The court stated, "Considering the content of the text messages sent by the defendant, the frequency of sending them, and the victim's status, it is clear that the text messages and other communications caused anxiety or fear in the victim."

A's side had argued that the victim's refusal of contact was not clearly specified and that the victim initiated contact at times, so A could not have known it was against their will. However, the court rejected this argument. The court ruled, "Based on the content of the text messages sent by the defendant, there was prior indication of the victim's refusal of contact, and at that time, the defendant clearly recognized the victim's intention."

The court further explained, "Given the content of the messages in which A requested contact with the victim's children, mentioned suicide, and instructed 'contact me right before the article is published,' it appears the victim reluctantly accepted contact despite not wanting to. It is reasonable to conclude that the defendant knew the victim did not want contact and that this intention remained unchanged."

Additionally, the court pointed out that A sent dozens of messages per day, stating, "This alone is sufficient to cause fear in the victim and meets the requirements of continuity and repetition as defined by the Stalking Punishment Act."

Regarding sentencing considerations, the court stated, "The defendant showed little remorse and engaged in behavior such as pressuring the victim after the offense, which was considered an unfavorable circumstance. However, the fact that the defendant had no prior criminal record was considered a favorable circumstance."

A may appeal the verdict within seven days from the date of sentencing if dissatisfied. If an appeal is filed, the case will proceed to the second instance; otherwise, the first-instance judgment becomes final.

Meanwhile, until recently, A had been making claims through their SNS account suggesting a private relationship with Hwang Jung-min, who is married, and had partially released call recordings and message contents exchanged between them.

However, Hwang's side flatly denied A's claims as "not factual." Sam Company, Hwang's agency, referred to A as "a suspect in a stalking crime who persistently harassed Hwang Jung-min" and announced that they had filed a criminal complaint against A.

According to Sam Company, the court imposed temporary measures such as no-contact orders against A on three separate occasions and issued a summary order for a 3 million won fine after recognizing the stalking charges. However, A contested this and requested a formal trial.

In the closing arguments held last month on the 11th, the Prosecution Service sought a fine of 10 million won against A. A's side emphasized that communication between the two was not one-sided and argued for acquittal on the stalking charges. In their final statement, A acknowledged some fault in their actions but pleaded, "Being called a stalker who chased one person unilaterally for two years is a completely different story."

Separately, A has filed a civil lawsuit seeking approximately 200 million won in damages against Hwang Jung-min. A claims they were offered a soju business venture by Hwang and subsequently worked on design proposals and scriptwriting but did not receive fair compensation for their efforts.

The court handling the case referred both parties to mediation in June to facilitate a settlement. However, since neither party appeared at the mediation session last month on the 14th, the court issued a forced mediation decision. Following this, both Hwang's side and A filed objections to the forced mediation decision, leading the case to proceed to a full trial.

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*This content was translated by AI.