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3-year jail terms sought for Lee blackmailers

March 6, 2015
Lee Byung-hun

Lee Byung-hun

By Jhoo Dong-chan

Prosecutors sought three-year jail sentences for model Lee Ji-yeon and  girl group GLAM member Kim Da-hee for blackmailing actor Lee Byung-hun during an appeal court hearing Friday.

A district court sentenced Lee to 14 months in prison and Kim to one year on Jan. 15, which they appealed.

However, the prosecution also appealed the sentence and demanded the Seoul High Court hand down longer jail terms for the two, saying, “The defendants do not regret their behavior.”

A lawyer for Lee and Kim called for leniency, saying the actor and the defendants have almost reached a compromise.

“The defendants are in their 20s and now regret their wrongdoing. I ask for leniency,” the lawyer said.

Lee, who married actress Lee Min-jung in 2013, reported the blackmail attempt to the police in August, saying model Lee and Kim asked him for 5 billion won or they would release video footage of him involved in a sexually explicit conversation.

Lee denied he had any sexual relations with them, although text messages released in court showed there was explicit talk between them.

The ruling on the appeals will be given on March 26.