'Baduk Player Stalking' 40s Sentenced to 2 Years in First Trial

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] A man in his 40s who stalked professional Go player 9-dan Jo Hye-yeon for about a year was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

The Seoul Northern District Court Criminal Division 13 (Chief Judge Heo Kyung-ho) sentenced A (48), who was detained and prosecuted on charges including trespassing, to two years in prison on the 23rd.

A was arrested and brought to trial on charges of stalking, including repeatedly visiting the Go academy operated by 9-dan Jo from April last year to April this year, verbally abusing and threatening her, and vandalizing the building walls. The prosecution also applied charges of threats, obstruction of business, and insult against A.

In April this year, A visited the academy for three consecutive days, shouting, "(Jo) is going to marry me," and harassed Jo by writing phrases such as "obscene woman" on the exterior walls of the building. He also left threatening comments like "hardships await" on news articles related to Jo’s Go tournament victories.

However, A did not admit to any of the charges except for the property damage charge of writing "I miss you" on the building’s exterior wall around October last year during the trial.

The court judged most of the charges as guilty, citing the credibility of the victim’s testimony and the fact that the handwriting of the sentences written on the building’s exterior walls was not different from each other.

The court stated, "The defendant’s criminal nature is very bad," but added, "However, considering the medical records showing treatment for schizophrenia and that some of the crimes can be seen as impulsive acts," explaining the sentencing rationale.

Meanwhile, 9-dan Jo posted on the Blue House National Petition Board in April under the title "A single woman in her thirties in South Korea who fears a vicious stalker," revealing her victimization. Jo became a professional player at the age of 11 in November 1997. She holds the record as the first female professional Go player in Korea to achieve 600 wins. In April this year, she also became the first woman to win the Daejoo Cup ‘Men and Women Pro Senior Strongest Player Championship.’

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.