According to legal circles on Jan 18th, Judge Lee Yong-je of Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 13 sentenced a woman in her 50s, referred to as Ms. Cho, to one year in prison suspended for two years for violating the Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes.
In addition to the suspended sentence, Ms. Cho was fined 100,000 won and ordered to undergo protective supervision, perform 120 hours of community service, and attend 40 hours of stalking crime prevention lectures.
Ms. Cho first approached Jung Eunji in March 2020, sending her a message saying, “Will you accept me as your butler, your companion?“
In May of the same year, she followed Jung Eunji on a motorcycle from Yeouido to Cheongdam-dong hair and makeup shop. In April and July of the following year, Ms. Cho committed stalking crimes multiple times by lurking and waiting at Jung Eunji’s apartment.
In July 2021, while waiting at Jung Eunji’s residence, Ms. Cho received a police warning not to approach Jung Eunji. She then sent a message to the agency official, saying, “I won’t send texts again.”
However, the stalking did not stop there.
After this incident, Ms. Cho continued to send Jung Eunji direct messages (DM) on Instagram and messages on the paid communication service Bubble, harassing her. Over the course of five months, Ms. Cho sent 544 Instagram DMs and Bubble messages.
The messages included contents like, “Eunji, did you sue me? Why? Now all I do is send texts.” Due to this, Jung Eunji announced the suspension of her Bubble service in December 2021.
The court stated, “The defendant’s messages exceeded the level of expressing support, interest and affection that a fan might send to a celebrity. Even if the victim joined Instagram and Bubble to communicate with the public, it can’t be considered as consenting or permitting any form of approach or contact.”
The court added, “Despite the significant mental shock, pain, anxiety and fear experienced by the victim, the defendant showed no remorse and denied the crime. The nature of the crime is bad.”
Source: Daum
