- Hwang Ui-jo gets suspended jail term
- Guilty of illegal filming without consent
- Jail term suspended due to remorse
South Korean footballer Hwang Ui-jo has been sentenced to a suspended one-year prison term after being convicted of illegally filming his sexual encounters with a woman, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Hwang, 32, a former striker for Norwich City and Nottingham Forest, currently plays for the Turkish football club Alanyaspor. He also represents the South Korea national team but has been suspended since 2023 following the allegations.
The Seoul court highlighted the severity of Hwang’s actions, stating, “given the seriousness of the socially harmful effects of illegal filming, it is necessary to punish [Hwang] strictly.” However, the court acknowledged that Hwang had shown remorse and clarified that the videos were shared on social media by a third party.
During his first court appearance in December, Hwang expressed regret for his actions, saying he was “deeply sorry” for causing “disappointment.”
The case began when Hwang’s sister-in-law posted the videos on social media in June 2023, attempting to blackmail him. She was sentenced to three years in prison in September after Hwang filed a lawsuit against her.
Despite initially denying the accusations, Hwang eventually pleaded guilty to the charges of illegal filming in October 2023. Prosecutors claimed that Hwang filmed sexual encounters with two women without their consent on four separate occasions in 2022. Hwang was convicted of charges relating to one woman but was acquitted in the case involving the other woman.
The use of hidden cameras for voyeuristic purposes remains a significant issue in South Korea, where thousands of individuals have been arrested over the past decade for similar crimes, sparking widespread fear and anger among women.
