By KpopAlerts 19 March 2024
A woman, victim of a sex video scandal involving soccer star Hwang Ui-jo, denounced the court's lack of respect during the recent trial of Hwang's sister-in-law, who was convicted of distributing the video in question and threatening Hwang. Last week, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Hwang's sister-in-law to three years in prison for downloading intimate photos and videos of Hwang and blackmailing him. The woman in the video sent a letter to KBS to express her objection to the court's lack of consideration towards her during the legal proceedings.
"I learned that the trial had been converted (from a public hearing) to a closed hearing for the screening of the video. This news made me so furious and I couldn't help but crying because of the embarrassment I felt... Although it was not (shown publicly), several people were present when the video was shown. I don't understand why the video of my body had to be viewed collectively in an open space,” she wrote in an email sent through her lawyer.
The victim was romantically involved with Hwang when the video was filmed and claimed Hwang recorded the video without her consent. The soccer star is currently under investigation regarding the allegation.
The woman also challenged the verdict, for which the court considered that the victim in the video "could not be specified." "Does this mean that the distribution of illegal videos that obscure the (victim's) face can receive a lighter sentence or even be found not guilty? Just because the face was cut off, it does not mean that the woman is not a victim,” she said, emphasizing that it would be easy for her acquaintances to deduce her identity from the video.
The victim's lawyer, Lee Eun-eui, said the scandal destroyed her personal relationships, adding that Hwang inflicted secondary harm on the victim by revealing details that could identify her. After allegations of illegal filming emerged, Hwang revealed that the woman is a married TV celebrity without going into details.
“We found during the police investigation that the frequency of searches for the victim's name on online search engines increased (following Hwang's comments),” Lee told local media.
The court said it was simply following proper legal procedures for verifying evidence when it showed the video, and reiterated that it was shown in a closed hearing.
