Former KARA member Hara's ex-boyfriend given suspended sentence

[Photograph by Yoo Dae-gil = dbeorlf123@ajunews.com]

SEOUL -- The ex-boyfriend of Goo Hara, a former girl band KARA member, was given a suspended sentence on charges of assault and intimidation with a video showing their sexual relationship.

A district court in Seoul sentenced Choi Jong-bum, 28, to 18 months in prison with a stay of execution for three years, ruling he was found guilty of threats, coercion, injury and property damage.

The court said that Choi had assaulted and injured Goo in the process of breaking up and threatened to distribute a video of their sexual relationship. "As a female entertainer, the victim must have suffered severe mental distress," it said.

However, the court handed down a relatively light sentence, given that the crime was not premeditated but accidental. Choi was accused of blackmailing Goo in September last year with a sex video, demanding her agency kneel in front of him. Choi claimed the video was not secretly filmed.

Goo's lawyer vowed to appeal, insisting the ex-boyfriend should be given harsh punishment. In May, Goo was hospitalized for attempting suicide.

Lim Chang-won cwlim34@ajunews.com

Former KARA member Hara's ex-boyfriend given suspended sentence

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