'Illegal Filming and Bribery' Choi Jong-hoon Sentenced to Suspended Prison Term in First Trial

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Singer Choi Jong-hoon (31), who was additionally indicted on charges of distributing secretly taken photos and videos of women and attempting to bribe police officers after being caught for drunk driving, was sentenced to a suspended prison term in the first trial.

On the 27th, Judge Jin-hwan Park of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 1 sentenced Choi, who was charged with illegal filming and expressing intent to bribe, to one year in prison with a two-year suspension. He was also ordered to complete 80 hours of a sexual violence program and was banned from working in child and youth-related institutions for five years.

The court stated, "Choi took nude photos of the victim with his phone camera and quickly and easily spread them through the information and communication network," adding, "He actively expressed his intention to give money to public officials for his own benefit, damaging the fairness of the drunk driving crackdown and the general public's trust in society."

However, the court explained the sentencing by saying, "Considering that Choi has shown remorse and that the criminal punishment for related cases has not yet been finalized."

Separately, Choi was sentenced to five years in prison in the first trial for gang raping a woman in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province in 2016 along with singer Jung Joon-young (31, currently incarcerated) and others, and he is currently appealing the verdict.

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