“To the point of causing anxiety or fear”... Woman in her 40s who stalked Hwang Jung-min fined 6 million won

[Financial News] An woman in her 40s who was indicted for stalking actor Hwang Jung-min has been sentenced to a fine.
According to Yonhap News and other reports on the 8th, Kim Young-a, presiding judge of the fourth single-judge criminal division of the Goyang Branch of Uijeongbu District Court, sentenced a woman in her 40s, identified as Ms. A, to a fine of 6 million won for violating the Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes, among other offenses.
The court also ordered Ms. A to complete a 40-hour stalking-treatment program.
Ms. A was indicted after Hwang filed a complaint against her in August last year on suspicion of violating the Stalking Punishment Act.
In February, the court issued Ms. A a summary order imposing a fine of 3 million won, but she objected and requested a formal trial.
The case came to light after Ms. A recently claimed through her social media accounts and other platforms that she had been in a personal relationship with Hwang, and released call recordings and message exchanges.
Prosecutors asked the court to sentence Ms. A to a fine of 10 million won.
At the final hearing, Ms. A admitted sending Hwang messages implying that she might end her life, as well as a will and photos of a dead cat. However, she argued that she had not intended to cause Hwang anxiety or fear, saying that she sent them while trying to inform him of her condition and end the relationship. The court did not accept her argument.
The court ruled, “Considering the number and frequency of the messages, it is recognized that they were capable of causing the victim anxiety or fear,” adding, “The defendant also appears to have been aware that the victim continued to not want contact.” The court explained its sentencing rationale, saying, “Even if there had been a legitimate reason to make contact, the content and frequency of the messages went beyond what could justify the defendant’s conduct.”
Meanwhile, SEM COMPANY, Hwang’s agency, said on social media that the ruling “confirmed that stalking, which threatens another person’s life, cannot be justified for any reason,” adding, “We deeply respect the judiciary’s decision.”
The agency continued, “Separate from the first-trial ruling, we plan to take all legal measures against the dissemination of false information and the publication and distribution of maliciously edited recordings that continued during the trial,” emphasizing, “We will hold the defendant legally accountable for any additional actions without offering any leniency.”
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter