The former publicist of actor Shin Hyun Joon, who was initially fined for threatening to expose alleged mistreatment, has been sentenced to prison on appeal. On August 28, the Daejeon District Court’s Criminal Division 1 handed down a six-month prison sentence to the 40-year-old A, who had served as Shin Hyun Joon’s publicist.

This ruling overturned the initial sentence of a 5 million KRW fine, as the appellate court accepted the prosecution’s argument for a harsher penalty.

A was charged with threatening Shin Hyun Joon by calling him on February 22, 2021, and sending text messages indicating that he would post his side of the story on online communities, thus attempting to blackmail the actor.

In the summer of 2020, after failing to recover unpaid wages from the agency, A harbored resentment and falsely claimed to have been a victim of mistreatment. He allegedly threatened to reveal this to the media in an attempt to pressure Shin Hyun-jun.

The initial trial court had noted that the victim had already been labeled as a “tyrannical celebrity” in the media due to similar accusations from another publicist, leading to his departure from ongoing programs. The court added that the victim likely experienced severe fear due to A’s threats, which influenced the sentencing decision.

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