Court Dismisses Appeals From Choi Jong Hoon And The Prosecution + Upholds Previous Sentence

On July 23, the Seoul Central District Court made their final decision in Choi Jong Hoon’s appeal trial.

Back in April, both Choi Jong Hoon and the prosecution filed an appeal after the court sentenced him to one year in prison, suspended for two years of probation, and 80 hours in a sexual violence rehabilitation program. In the original trial, Choi Jong Hoon admitted to all charges of illegal filming and distribution, but claimed that he had no intention of offering bribes. During his first appeal hearing in June, Choi Jong Hoon read out a letter of apology.

In the July 23 trial, the court stated, “The defendant appealed the original sentence because it was too heavy, while the prosecution appealed because it was too light. The appeal trial has seen no new evidence for the assessment of the case, nor have the conditions changed. If we look at the elements of the case, it is hard to determine whether the punishment was severe or light.”

In the end, the court dismissed both appeals and upheld the original sentence: one year in prison suspended for two years of probation, as well as 80 hours in a sexual violence rehabilitation program.

Choi Jong Hoon was charged with filming his sexual partners without consent and distributing the material in various chat rooms. He was also charged with expressing an intent to bribe after he told a police officer that he would give them 2 million won (about $1,700) when he was booked for drunk driving in 2016.

This is a separate case from Choi Jong Hoon and Jung Joon Young’s ongoing appeal over their sentences for charges of aggravated rape.

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