"You Must Not Be Happy"... 30s Woman Fined for Sending 342 KakaoTalk Messages to Husband's Affair Partner
by Kim Hyunjeong2
Published 27 Jan.2024 16:30(KST)
Incheon District Court Sentences 2 Million Won Fine for Stalking Charges
A woman in her 30s who sent over 300 threatening KakaoTalk (KakaoTalk) messages to the woman who was her husband's affair partner was sentenced to a fine.
On the 27th, the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 16 (Judge Kim Taehwan) announced that it sentenced A (31, female), who was indicted for violating the Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes, to a fine of 2 million won. The court also ordered that if the defendant does not pay the fine, she will be detained in a labor camp for a period calculated at 100,000 won per day.
A was tried on charges of sending a total of 342 KakaoTalk messages to B, who was having an affair with her husband, from 7:30 p.m. on October 20, 2022, to November 1 of the same year. Earlier, A found out in October 2021 that B and her husband were having an affair. Afterwards, she was investigated for continuously sending messages to B that questioned the facts related to the affair or disparaged B's appearance.
Even after receiving KakaoTalk messages from B saying, "Please stop, I'm suffering. I'm sorry," A continued to send threatening messages. In the messages, A told B, "You are someone who should not be happy," and "You, who destroyed someone else's family through an affair, can never be happy." She also sent messages such as "Because of you, our son lost his father" and "Do you sleep soundly with your feet stretched out?"
The court judged A guilty based on A's testimony in court and B's police statements and other evidence, and sentenced her to a fine.
The Stalking Punishment Act stipulates that if continuous and repetitive acts cause anxiety and fear to the other party, the offender shall be punished by imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won. If a stalking crime is committed while carrying or using a weapon or other dangerous object, the offender shall be punished by imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won. This law punishes cases where unwanted contact is continuously made, including missed calls, KakaoTalk, and text messages.
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