"Geumhwa (金畵) but There's No Gold..." Tried to Extort Money from the Artist, Sentenced to Prison

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A man in his 50s who attempted to extort an artist by claiming that a 'Geumhwa' (gold painting) painted with gold-containing paint did not actually contain gold was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

On the 18th, according to the legal community, Judge Lee Wonjoong of the Criminal Division 19 at the Seoul Central District Court recently sentenced A (57, male), who was indicted for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (joint extortion), to six months in prison.

Earlier, A was put on trial for attempting to extort money from artist B by melting B’s painting obtained in 2019 with fire and claiming that it did not contain gold, together with an acquaintance, but the attempt failed.

At the time, A reportedly told B’s side via phone and other means, "An acquaintance who borrowed 65 million won using three Geumhwa as collateral is currently missing, and it has been confirmed that the Geumhwa does not contain gold. I will report the video of the verification scene to the media," and delivered the video to B’s side or posted it online, according to the investigation.

A, along with the acquaintance, visited B and threatened him by saying, "Pay the money quickly and end this. If you don’t bring the cash within 10 days, your life is over," and kicked B’s leg twice to intimidate him.

During the trial, A explained the circumstances of the incident and blamed artist B for the cause.

The court stated, "The crime of extortion, which exploited the victim’s status and circumstances, is very serious," adding, "The victim suffered great mental distress, and the defendant has not been forgiven by the victim." The court also reprimanded, "The defendant showed no remorse in this courtroom and shifted responsibility to the victims, so strict punishment is appropriate."

However, the court added, "Since the defendant’s crime was only attempted and he has no prior record exceeding a fine, the defendant is given an opportunity to reflect on his crime, and there is no risk of flight or evidence destruction, so he will not be detained."

A has appealed the first trial ruling.

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