According to legal sources, on September 5th, the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Department 1-2 dismissed both the appeal of the prosecutor and the defendant, Ms. Cho, who had been charged with violating the law on the punishment of stalking crimes.
In the first trial, Ms. Cho was sentenced to one year in prison, with a two-year probation, a fine of 100,000 KRW, 120 hours of community service, 40 hours of education on preventing stalking crimes, and placed under probation. This ruling has been upheld in the appeal.
Ms. Cho was charged with sending a total of 544 messages to Jeong Eun-ji via text and social media between March 2020 and August 2021, including messages such as “Will you accept me as your servant and partner?” In May 2020, Cho, who worked as a delivery driver, was also accused of stalking Jeong Eun-ji by following her vehicle on her motorcycle from the 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 promising not to send further messages, Cho continued her behavior, leading the agency to file a lawsuit against her in August 2021. Even after Jeong Eun-ji announced on December 3th, 2021, that she would stop using the Bubble app, Cho resumed sending messages through Instagram.
The first trial court stated, “The content of the messages sent by the defendant goes beyond the typical fan expressions of support, interest, and affection. Even though the victim had joined 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 noted, “The nature of the defendant’s crime is severe, and the victim has suffered significant emotional trauma, distress, and fear. Furthermore, the defendant has shown no remorse and continues to deny the charges“.
Ms. Cho, having avoided jail time, denied the charges and appealed the first trial’s decision, while the prosecution also appealed, leading to a cross-appeal in the second trial.
Source: Daum
