[Exclusive] Tzuyang, Refuses Karakyula's Deposit for '55 Million Won Extortion Aid' Charge... "No Leniency"

[Financial News] YouTuber Tzuyang (real name Park Jeong-won) has stated that she will not accept the deposit from Karakyula (Lee Se-wook), who is involved in the extortion case of 55 million won by YouTubers. The reason is that she found out too late what Karakyula did after the first trial verdict and cannot forgive him. Tzuyang's side criticized, "In the end, the deposit is intended to avoid severe punishment," and "he is not sincerely remorseful." This increases the likelihood that the appellate court will somewhat adjust Karakyula's sentence in the upcoming September appeal trial.
According to a comprehensive report by Financial News on the 23rd, Tzuyang's side recently submitted a 'Deposit Withdrawal Agreement' to the Suwon District Court's 3-3 Criminal Division, stating that they will not retrieve the 20 million won deposited by Karakyula. The deposit is money offered by the accused to propose a settlement to the victim to avoid punishment or receive a reduced sentence, and Tzuyang's side rejected it, saying, "We cannot forgive the depositor (Karakyula)."
In the obtained agreement, Tzuyang's side stated, "The indictment was wrong, and I believed to some extent the depositor's claim that he was unjustly indicted, but after seeing the facts recognized in the first trial judgment, I specifically learned what actions the depositor had taken without the knowledge of the depositee (Tzuyang)."
They continued, "It was clearly recognized that the depositor claimed to be unjustly accused with the intention of obtaining the depositee's intention not to punish him to avoid severe punishment," and "it was also learned that the depositor is not sincerely remorseful or feels sorry for the victim," clearly stating their intention to refuse the settlement.
Karakyula was brought to trial on charges of aiding extortion, being involved in the case where fellow YouTuber Gu Jeyuk (real name Lee Jun-hee) and others extorted 55 million won from Tzuyang two years ago. Gu Jeyuk and YouTuber Jujak Gambyulsa (real name Jeon Guk-jin) are accused of extorting money from Tzuyang in February 2023, claiming they received tips about tax evasion and personal life allegations. Karakyula and YouTuber Crocodile (real name Choi Il-hwan) are accused of inciting extortion by saying, "It's more profitable to directly extort money than to upload an exposé video about Tzuyang."
Before the first trial verdict, Karakyula claimed innocence, saying, "I have never participated in the extortion crime of Gu Jeyuk and others," but the court did not accept it, stating, "The defendant (Karakyula) was aware that Gu Jeyuk was trying to extort property from the victim by threatening them and assisted in strengthening or maintaining the criminal intent."
According to the first trial judgment, Karakyula dissuaded Gu Jeyuk, who was contemplating whether to produce a video exposing Tzuyang's personal life allegations and post it on YouTube or extort money from the victim using the tip as a pretext, by saying, "If you expose Tzuyang's case, you're just going down."
When Gu Jeyuk asked, "From your perspective, is it better to exchange this for something else?" Karakyula replied, "Of course. From YouTube's perspective, how healthy and golden egg-laying goose is Tzuyang. The moment you touch Tzuyang, you become the number one target. It's just a suspension of revenue due to inciting hatred towards others and expressing hatred. (Omitted) You should rather consider whether to pressure Tzuyang more." 
Tzuyang's side explained, "Karakyula brought various materials before the trial, claiming they were evidence of innocence, but the crime involvement was confirmed as the conversation content was disclosed through the judgment," and "it was judged that Karakyula is not remorseful through various circumstances, such as the content of the letter written at the time of arrest not being fully kept." 
The first trial court sentenced Gu Jeyuk to three years in prison, Jujak Gambyulsa and Karakyula to one year in prison with a three-year probation, and Crocodile to a fine of 5 million won. At the appeal trial held on the 22nd, the prosecution requested four years in prison for Gu Jeyuk, three years for Jujak Gambyulsa, and two years and one year for Karakyula and Crocodile, respectively.
The analysis suggests that the victim Tzuyang's refusal to settle and the declaration of no intention to show leniency could be a major factor in the appellate court's assessment of the defendant's remorse. Generally, when a victim refuses to settle and demands severe punishment, the court often reflects this in sentencing.
Tzuyang's side told this paper, "We are in the process of recovering damages related to the case and will hold them accountable to the end." The appellate court's sentencing for Karakyula and the other four is scheduled for September 5.
yesji@fnnews.com Kim Yeji Reporter