Car Rental Owner Threatened K-pop Idol Couple to Extort Money; Incheon District Court Orders 8-Month Suspended Sentence

A car rental business owner in South Korea was found guilty of extorting money by using dashcam footage from a K-pop idol couple. The Incheon District Court sentenced the owner of the car rental company to 8 months in prison suspended for 2 years, along with 120 hours of community service. The incident began in February. The car rental owner rented a van to a member of a K-pop girl group. After the vehicle was returned, he reviewed the dashcam footage and discovered the female idol in “physical contact” with a male artist from another K-pop group. The owner sent a text message to the idol, pointing out the “inappropriate behavior in the back seat” and threatening that there would be consequences if she did not admit fault. He then demanded money, claiming the vehicle cost 47 million won, and asserted that the dashcam footage served as evidence. Even after receiving payments twice, the owner continued to threaten to release the footage and demanded more money. Ultimately, the idol transferred a total of 98 million won over three transactions. In its judgment, the court stated that the defendant returned most of the extorted funds, admitted to the crime, and expressed remorse, which led to the choice of a suspended sentence. This case highlighted the dangers of cybercrime involving personal information and video recordings, serving as a reminder of the need for stronger legal safeguards against privacy violations in the digital age.