- Unnamed defendant pretended to be a scorned ex-girlfriend of the footballer
The sister-in-law of Nottingham Forest striker Hwang Ui-jo was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday for posting private explicit videos of the South Korean international online and trying to blackmail him.
The defendant, who has not been named, was accused of sharing the videos on social media while pretending to be an ex-girlfriend accusing him of infidelity.
She posted the videos ‘knowing it would be disseminated indiscriminately’, the Seoul Central District Court said in a verdict, Yonhap news agency reported.
‘The content has been widely distributed in and out of South Korea… the nature of her crime is very serious,’ the court said.
The defendant had strongly denied the charges brought against her up to the trial and said there was a possibility her phone had been hacked.
But she later submitted a letter to judges in which she admitted to the crime and offered her apologies to the court and Hwang.
Hwang Ui-jo of South Korea celebrates after scoring the first goal during the international friendly match between South Korea and Egypt at Seoul World Cup Stadium on June 14, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea
Hwang Ui-jo of Nottingham Forest in action with Geraldo Bajrami of Notts County during the Pre-Season Friendly between Notts County and Nottingham Forest at Meadow Lane on July 15, 2023 in Nottingham, England
The release of the videos also sparked a separate police investigation into the Forest player himself over whether the sexual encounters were filmed illegally without consent.
Hwang has denied the allegations and prosecutors have yet to clear or formally charge him.
In her blackmail plot, the defendant claimed Hwang had slept with several women, including celebrities, and led them to believe he was dating them, only to dump them later.
She also sent taunting messages to Hwang, saying ‘it will be fun’ if the videos are leaked, according to a report by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
The three-year sentence for Hwang’s sister-in-law was a year less than prosecutors had demanded.
The defendant’s acknowledgement of the crime and Hwang’s plea for leniency were taken into consideration, the court said.
‘I have caused great harm to the victims and I sincerely regret what I have done,’ the defendant said in her final testimony.
Hwang has played for several teams on loan from Nottingham Forest including EFL side Norwich CIty, Greece’s Olympiacos and FC Seoul in his native South Korea
The release of the videos also sparked a separate police investigation into the Forest player himself over whether the sexual encounters were filmed illegally without consent. Hwang has denied the allegations and prosecutors have yet to clear or formally charge him
The 31-year-old Hwang, who is on loan from Forest at Turkish club Alanyaspor, scored in a World Cup qualifier against Singapore in November.
But the Korea Football Association have since suspended him from the national squad pending the outcome of the investigation into the alleged illegal filming.
The suspension kept him out of the Asian Cup in Qatar.
Hwang has scored 19 goals in 62 appearances for South Korea.
He has played for several teams on loan from Nottingham Forest including EFL side Norwich CIty, Greece’s Olympiacos and FC Seoul in his native South Korea.
