The Nightclub Manager Who Blackmailed The Late Lee Sun Kyun Gets Slapped With Heavier Sentence On Appeal Trial, Taken To Custody Again

The nightclub manager and former actress who were indicted for blackmailing the late actor Lee Sun Kyun and extorting hundreds of millions of won have received heavier sentences in their appeals trial and were taken into custody again.

On July 16, the Incheon District Court’s Criminal Appeals Division 3 (Presiding Judge Choi Seong-bae) sentenced the nightclub manager, referred to as A, to 5 years and 6 months in prison, and the former actress, referred to as B, to 6 years and 6 months. This is an increase of 2 years and 2 years and 4 months, respectively, compared to their initial sentences in the first trial.

Previously, A had been sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in the first trial and was released on bail, but was taken into custody again immediately after the appeals ruling.

The court stated regarding A, “She abused the trust of the victim (the late Lee Sun Kyun) to demand a large sum of money, incited fear through false threats, and this cannot be said to be unrelated to the victim’s extreme choice.” The court also added, “Even after being released on bail, she did not appear to show sincere remorse.”

As for B, the court remarked, “At first, she attempted extortion through A but failed, so she directly began blackmailing the victim. By pretending to be a hacker using an unregistered SIM card, the nature of the crime was extremely malicious. She targeted the private life of a well-known celebrity and maximized fear and pain, which the court views as a serious offense.”

From September to October 2023, the two were charged with blackmailing a total of 350 million won (approx. $265,000) from Lee Sun Kyun, claiming things like “your phone has been hacked” and “you need to keep this quiet.”

In particular, B was found to have exploited her acquaintance with Lee Sun Kyun through A, pretending to be the hacker and extorting money. She used an illegal SIM card to impersonate a hacker, approached Lee through A, and personally received 50 million won.

B had previously served time for fraud and reportedly appeared in minor film roles in the early 2010s.

This case was identified as one of the key factors leading to Lee Sun Kyun’s tragic death and left fans and the public in deep shock.

Source: (A)