South Korean football player Hwang Ui-jo has been handed a suspended one-year jail term for illegally filming his sexual encounters with a woman, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The 32-year-old, a former Nottingham Forest striker, now plays for the Turkish club Alanyaspor. He also plays for the South Korea national team but was suspended in 2023 amid the allegations.
The Seoul court said that “given the seriousness of the socially harmful effects of illegal filming, it is necessary to punish [Hwang] strictly”.
However, it noted Hwang had shown remorse and the videos were posted on social media by a third party.
Hwang had said he was “deeply sorry” for causing “disappointment” during his first court appearance last December.
The videos came to light after Hwang’s sister-in-law shared them on social media last June, in an attempt to blackmail him.
She was sentenced to three years in prison in September for the blackmail after Hwang sued her.
However, the charges against him proceeded as prosecutors said he filmed sexual encounters with two women without their consent on four occasions in 2022.
He had initially claimed innocence, but pleaded guilty to illegal filming charges last October.
He was convicted of the charges related to one woman but acquitted of those related to the other.
Hidden cameras designed to secretly film women and their sexual encounters are a nationwide problem in South Korea.
Over the past decade, thousands have been arrested for filming voyeuristic images and videos, sparking fear and anger among women across the country.
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