Seoul Court Issues Sentence for 59-Year-Old Stalker Targeting Apink's Jung Eunji Since 2020

A stalker who sent Apink's Jeong Eunji hundreds of messages, followed her on a motorcycle and even visited her home, was sentenced to probation.

According to the legal community on the 18th, Judge Lee Yong-je of the 13th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Jo (59), a woman in her 50s, to one year in prison and two years of probation, who was indicted on charges of violating the law on the punishment of stalking crimes.

She was also ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 won, undergo probation, perform 120 hours of community service, and take 40 hours of stalking crime recidivism prevention classes.

‘Jo’ first approached Eunji in March 2020, sending a message asking, “Will you accept me as your butler and companion?”

In May of the same year, she chased Eunji on a motorcycle from Yeouido to a hair and makeup shop in Cheongdam-dong. In April and July of the following year, she committed several stalking crimes, including lying in wait at Eunji's apartment.

In July 2021, ‘Jo’, who was waiting at Eunji's home, sent a message to an agency official saying, "I will never text you again," in response to a police warning not to approach the idol.

But the stalking did not stop there.

After the incident, ‘Jo’ harassed Jeong Eunji by sending her several messages, including direct messages (DMs) on Instagram. Over the course of five months, ‘Jo’ sent DMs and paid communication service bubble messages alone reaching 544 times.

Among ‘Jo’'s messages to Jeong Eunji, "Eunji, have you sued me? Why? I'm only texting now." Due to this, Eunji said she will stop using Bubble in December 2021.

The court said, "The defendant's message went beyond expressing support, interest, and affection that fans would send to celebrities," adding, "Even if the victim joined Instagram and Bubble to communicate with the public, it cannot be considered that he agreed to or allowed any form of access or contact."

"Even though the victim appears to have suffered considerable trauma, pain, anxiety, and fear, the defendant denied the crime and did not show remorse," he said. "The nature of the crime is bad."

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