Two Officials Sentenced for Extortion Scheme Involving False Sexual Assault Claims
In a significant ruling, the Suwon District Court's Criminal Division 11 sentenced two public officials for their involvement in an extortion scheme that lasted six years, during which they defrauded a colleague out of approximately 1.5 billion KRW (around $1.3 million). On February 9, 2025, the court handed down a six-year prison sentence to the main perpetrator, identified as A, and a two-year sentence to his accomplice, B, for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (extortion).
The court found that in March 2012, A and B lured their colleague, referred to as C, to a restaurant where they consumed alcohol with a woman. They then falsely accused C of sexual assault while intoxicated, extorting over 980 million KRW from him. Additionally, between 2017 and 2018, they deceived C into believing he had committed sexual crimes against minors, resulting in an additional 660 million KRW in extortion. The defendants exploited C's tendency to forget events when drinking and his social interactions with women.
The court criticized the defendants for their actions, stating, "The defendants mobilized so-called 'honey trap' women to create a scenario where the intoxicated victim appeared to have committed a crime, thereby disguising their extortion as a need for criminal settlement. Their conduct is extremely reprehensible." It noted that A showed no genuine effort to compensate the victim and continued to deny his wrongdoing. In contrast, B acknowledged his involvement, expressed remorse, and repaid 75 million KRW to the victim, which the court considered in its sentencing decision, along with the victim's lack of desire for further punishment against B.
