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Court upholds footballer Hwang Ui-jo's suspended sentence for illegal sex tapes

Published: 04 Sep. 2025, 16:52

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Footballer Hwang Ui-jo walks out of Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, after being handed a suspended prison sentence on appeal after being convicted of illegal filming on Sept. 4. [NEWS1]

Korean footballer Hwang Ui-jo was handed a suspended sentence on appeal on Thursday after being convicted of illegally filming sex tapes.

Seoul Central District Court upheld a lower court’s decision, sentencing Hwang to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.

“The victims suffered severe psychological distress,” the court said. “Although another person carried out the distribution of the footage, it was based on the defendant’s filming. Given the sexually humiliating nature of the recordings, the defendant bears significant blame.”

The court criticized Hwang for failing to receive forgiveness from the victims, for denying the charges during the investigation and for hinting at sensitive details about one victim in media statements.

The court added that Hwang’s handling of the case “failed to consider the victims' position in a sensitive criminal matter,” weighing against him in sentencing.

On Hwang’s presentencing deposit of compensation money, the court noted that the victim had explicitly refused to accept it, meaning it could not be considered as reconciliation or restitution, but stopped short of classifying it as a “surprise deposit.”

After the ruling, Hwang issued a statement of apology.

“I sincerely apologize to the victims who suffered great pain,” the footballer said in the statement. “I have received overwhelming support, but my mistakes betrayed that trust. I feel nothing but shame toward all those who supported and believed in me.”

He added that he would focus on football and work to regain trust.

The case on Hwang came to light in June 2023, when Hwang reported his sister-in-law to the police for allegedly leaking private photos and videos of him and several women on social media.

During the investigation, however, police uncovered evidence that Hwang himself had illegally filmed sexual encounters without consent between June and September 2022. He was indicted in July of last year and received a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, in the first trial in February of this year.

Hwang is currently signed to the Turkish football club Alanyaspor.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]