South Korea’s Hwang Ui-jo faces four years in jail for sex video

South Korean international footballer Hwang Ui-jo faces four years in jail after pleading guilty in court to illegally filming sexual encounters.

The former Nottingham Forest striker asked the judge to show leniency after being charged with recording himself having sex with women without their consent, a trial transcript seen by AFP said Thursday.

Prosecutors asked the Seoul Central District Court for a four-year jail term for the 32-year-old when they made their closing arguments in the case this week.

Hwang, who now plays for Turkish club Alanyaspor, had initially claimed he was innocent before admitting the offences in the court.

“Though he now acknowledges the wrongdoing, he had denied the allegations leading up to the trial,” prosecutors said.

“We question whether Hwang is sincere in his reflections… for the irreparable damage inflicted upon the victims.”

Hwang said in a prepared statement to the judge: “I offer my sincerest apologies to the victims who have suffered because of my wrongdoings. I sincerely plead for the utmost leniency.”

He said he would use the incident as a “mirror of reflection” to live diligently as an athlete.

Known as “molka” in Korean, spycam videos are typically made by men who secretly film women in toilets and elsewhere, although the term can also be applied to clandestine footage of consensual sex.

The scandal came to light when his 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.

One of the victim’s attorneys, Lee Eun-eui, welcomed the prosecutors’ demand for a four-year prison sentence.

“It is at least comforting that the prosecution is seeking a four-year imprisonment,” she told reporters after the trial, noting her client had been “deeply battered” through the entire affair.

Hwang has been suspended from the national team since November last year when the allegations were made. 

He has scored 19 goals in 62 appearances for South Korea.

Hwang is due to be sentenced on December 18.