Prosecutors have requested prison sentences for two women accused of blackmailing popular mukbang YouTuber Tzuyang (real name Park Jung Won) and extorting a large sum of money.
During the sentencing hearing held on July 18 at the Seoul Central District Court under Judge Koo Chang Kyu, the prosecution asked for one year in prison each for defendants 'Song' and 'Kim,' who were charged with joint blackmail under the Act on the Punishment of Violent Crimes.
Explaining the reasoning behind the sentence request, the prosecution stated, “The amount extorted was large, so the crime is not light. However, the defendants have no prior convictions beyond a fine, have confessed to and reflected on their actions, and have reached an amicable settlement with the victim.”
It is known that the defendants paid Tzuyang a total of 256 million KRW (~184,337 USD), which includes the 216 million KRW (~155,534 USD) originally extorted and an additional 40 million KRW (~28,803 USD) as a final settlement.
During the trial, the defense lawyer said, “There is no excuse for their actions, and they sincerely apologize to the victim. At the time, they believed the money was being paid by the agency CEO and not the victim herself, which weakened their sense of guilt.” The lawyer added, “They now deeply regret how dangerous and hurtful that thinking was.”
The lawyer also stated, “They have returned the extorted money and made efforts to restore the damage. They managed to gather the settlement money with difficulty and conveyed both the payment and an apology to the victim.” The defense requested leniency, saying, “The victim does not wish for criminal punishment, and the defendants are sincerely remorseful.”
The two defendants are accused of blackmailing Tzuyang between June 2021 and November 2022 by threatening to expose her past. They extorted 216 million KRW through Tzuyang's former boyfriend and agency CEO, identified as Mr. A. Tzuyang explained the situation in a YouTube video last year, saying, “These women first contacted Mr. A, who told me, ‘This concerns you, so handle it yourself.’ Then, a YouTube producer went to meet them and obtained a promise that they wouldn’t expose anything, leading us to pay the 216 million KRW.”
Although the police received a complaint from one of Tzuyang’s acquaintances and requested an arrest warrant in July last year, the court denied it, stating there was “no risk of flight.”
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