According to legal sources, on September 5, the Criminal Department 1-2 of the Seoul Central District Court rejected both the appeal of the prosecutor and that of the defendant, Ms. Cho, who was accused of violating the Stalking Punishment Act.
In the first trial, Ms. Cho was sentenced to one year in prison, with two years of probation, a fine of 100,000 KRW, 120 hours of community service, 40 hours of stalking crime prevention training, and probation. This sentence was upheld on appeal.
Ms. Cho was accused of sending a total of 544 messages to Jeong Eun-ji via text messages and social media between March 2020 and August 2021, including messages such as “Will you accept me as your servant and companion?” In May 2020, Cho, who worked as a delivery man, was also accused of stalking Jeong Eun-ji by following her vehicle on a motorcycle from KBS headquarters to a hair and makeup salon in Gangnam, Seoul. In July 2021, Cho was caught loitering in front of Jeong Eun-ji’s apartment.
Despite receiving warnings from Jeong Eun-ji’s agency and a promise to stop messaging, Cho continued her behavior, leading the agency to file a lawsuit against her in August 2021. Even after Jeong Eun-ji announced on December 3, 2021 that she would stop using the Bubble app, Cho resumed messaging via Instagram.
The first instance court stated: “The content of the messages sent by the defendant goes beyond the typical expressions of support, interest and affection of fans. Even if the victim signed up to Instagram and the Bubble app to communicate with the public, this does not imply consent to any form of contact or approach“. The court also observed, “The nature of the defendant’s crime is serious and the victim has suffered significant emotional trauma, anguish and fear. Furthermore, the defendant has shown no remorse and continues to deny the charges“.
Ms. Cho, after avoiding prison, denied the charges and appealed the first trial’s decision; the prosecution also appealed, which led to a cross-appeal in the second trial.
Source: Daum
