Prosecutors seek seven-year prison sentence for those who blackmailed the K-actor

Prosecutors have sought a seven-year prison sentence for a bar hostess and a former actress accused of extorting a total of 350 million won (RM1.1mil) from late actor Lee Sun-kyun (pic).

At the hearing held at the Incheon District Court on November 25, prosecutors argued that the defendants, a 30-year-old stewardess surnamed Kim and a 29-year-old former actress surnamed Park, committed the crime with malicious intent, exploiting Lee’s celebrity status. .

Kim was arrested and charged in January for allegedly blackmailing Lee and extorting him 300 million won (RM956,000) by claiming his phone had been hacked. He demanded hush money by threatening to leak damaging information.

Meanwhile, Kim was working at an upscale bar in Gangnam, where Lee was said to frequent.

Investigators later discovered that the alleged hacker was Kim’s acquaintance, Park, who lived in the same apartment complex.

Park had impersonated a hacker to extort money from Kim, claiming to have evidence of Kim’s drug use and relationship with Lee.

When Park could not get money from Kim, she also blackmailed Lee and obtained 50 million won (RM159,000). Kim, who has six previous drug convictions, was sentenced to one year in prison for using illegal drugs.

The racketeering charges were revealed during Lee’s trial last October for alleged drug use.

While the investigation was ongoing, Lee, known for his role in the Oscar-winning film Parasite, died by suicide in December.

Lee claimed he was directed to take the drugs without knowing what he was being given.

All drug screens performed during the investigation were negative.

At the hearing on November 25, Kim stated that he was being blackmailed because of his relationship with Lee and that he wanted the situation to be resolved as soon as possible.

“I never wanted to hurt someone I cared about so deeply,” he said, referring to Lee.

Meanwhile, Park apologized in court, saying she would dedicate her life to making amends.

The court’s decision will be given on December 19. —The Korea Herald/ANN