50s Arrested for Extorting 90 Million Won Through 300 Lawsuits Abusing the Judicial System

Abusing Civil and Criminal Litigation Personal Information Verification System to Threaten Victims

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A man in his 50s who exploited the litigation system to extort tens of millions of won under the pretext of settlement money has been arrested.

The Criminal Division 5 of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Park Eun-hye) announced on the 10th that Mr. A (53) was arrested and indicted on charges of extortion, coercion, attempted extortion, and attempted coercion.

Mr. A is accused of repeatedly filing civil and criminal lawsuits about 300 times against people who posted media reports related to him on internet blogs or bulletin boards, and extorting about 90 million won in settlement money.

He reportedly forced meetings to obtain settlement money from 11 people who posted articles related to his acquittal, and extorted money by threatening them at their workplaces or via text messages.

During the crimes, Mr. A abused the personal information verification system in civil and criminal lawsuits. He selectively filed criminal complaints for defamation against the authors of posts, then obtained their contact information during the investigation under the pretext of settlement. He also filed civil lawsuits for damages and obtained personal information including addresses through the address correction order system.

Mr. A also used complaints and promissory notes, which are means of victim relief, as tools for intimidation. He contacted internet post authors and threatened, saying, "If you do not pay the settlement money, you will face severe punishment and suffer significant disruption to your social life or personal affairs." If they could not pay in a lump sum, he made them sign documents promising to pay the settlement money, which he then submitted as favorable evidence in civil lawsuits to win the cases.

It is reported that the victims filed complaints against Mr. A with the help of lawyers engaged in public interest legal activities.

A prosecution official said, "Mr. A did not stop at one-time actions but continuously harassed victims by frequently contacting them or visiting their workplaces. Even after a criminal case was dismissed without charges, he filed civil lawsuits three years later using possession of promissory notes as a pretext."

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