Mother-son duo sentenced to prison for attempted extortion of celebrity with fake scandal photos

A mother and son duo has been sentenced to prison for attempting to extort money by threatening to release photos of a celebrity, identified as A, engaging in drinking, smoking, and gambling.

On June 20, Judge Park Byung Gon of the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 5 sentenced Mr. Kim and his mother to 1 year and 6 months in prison each for attempted extortion and aiding and abetting attempted extortion.

In March, Mr. Kim sent an email to A's agency, claiming he had photos of A smoking, drinking, and gambling at an illegal hold’em pub, and threatened to leak them to the press. It was later revealed that Mr. Kim did not have these photos.

A few days later, Mr. Kim contacted the agency's executive director by phone and messenger, suggesting, "If this gets reported, it will only harm A's reputation. Let's talk about this before it goes public. Wouldn't it be better to delete these photos or cover this up?" He then bluntly demanded 30 million KRW, adding, "I prefer not to meet because of my personal information."

When the agency did not respond satisfactorily, Mr. Kim continued his threats, saying, "I don't know what you're doing. It seems like you're just wasting time."

Instead of stopping her son, Mr. Kim's mother advised him to increase his demands, saying, "If you're going to ask for money, ask for a large amount. If it's a large sum, report it. If you settle for 30 million KRW, it’s enough. If there's a problem, I'll take the investigation. Your bank account is at risk. Do you think I wouldn't give you the money once it comes in?" She also provided a bank account for the extortion.

However, before any money was transferred, A's agency reported the incident to the authorities, leading to the duo's arrest before they could complete their crime.

Police investigations revealed that the mother and son had committed similar crimes multiple times. Mr. Kim had been fined twice for previous offenses, while his mother had several prior convictions, including two prison sentences for various crimes.

The court stated, "The defendants did not reach a settlement with the victims, receive forgiveness, or take any measures to compensate the victims for their losses. The victims appear to have suffered significant mental distress, indicating the severity of this crime."

The duo filed an appeal the day after their sentencing.