South Korean footballer Hwang Ui-jo bags jail term over sex-video scandal

South Korean international footballer Hwang Ui-jo has been sentenced to a one-year jail term, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to filming sexual encounters with a woman without her consent. 

The 32-year-old former Premier League forward admitted to the charges in October, and the verdict was delivered on Friday, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

A suspended sentence means Hwang will avoid prison if he does not commit any further offenses during the two-year period.

“Considering the seriousness of the social harm caused by illegal filming crimes, it is necessary to impose a strict punishment,” Judge Lee Yong-je said Friday, according to Yonhap.

“Mr. Hwang filmed sexual intercourse scenes against the will of the victim using his mobile phone on four occasions,” the judge added.

Asked by reporters whether he had anything to say to the victim following the case, Hwang said he was “sorry”.

“I personally apologise to football fans and genuinely feel very sorry,” said Hwang, who was a reserve for Nottingham Forest before moving to Turkey.

The Seoul Central District Court declined to confirm the ruling when contacted by AFP.

The scandal came to light when Hwang’s sister-in-law posted private explicit videos of Hwang in an attempt to blackmail him in June 2023.

She is now serving three years in prison for blackmail.

Prosecutors had asked the court for a four-year jail term for Hwang when they made their closing arguments in the case in October.

Hwang, who has represented South Korea in international competitions and played for various clubs, now faces potential professional repercussions alongside legal penalties.

This development adds to ongoing conversations around consent, privacy, and accountability in the sports world.

The court Friday noted Hwang’s acknowledgement of his wrongdoing and his remorse in handing him a suspended sentence, according to Yonhap.

The fact that a third party distributed the footage on social media without his involvement was also taken into account, the news agency said.

Hwang had been charged with illegally filming sex without his partners’ consent on four occasions between June and September 2022.

Two victims were initially named, but Hwang was convicted on charges related to only one, Yonhap said.

Hwang, who has featured more than 60 times for South Korea and now plays for Alanyaspor, had initially claimed he was innocent before admitting the offences in court.