Attorney indicted for allegedly leaking info, blackmailing mukbang star Tzuyang

Social Affairs

Attorney indicted for allegedly leaking info, blackmailing mukbang star Tzuyang

Published: 28 Aug. 2024, 16:29

CHO JUNG-WOO
cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr

Lee Jun-hee, known by his YouTube channel name GooJeYeok, appears before the prosecutors' office as he heads to the Suwon District Court in Gyeonggi, to attend an arrest warrant hearing on July 26. [NEWS1]

Prosecutors on Wednesday indicted and detained an attorney accused of leaking private information about mukbang (eating show) YouTube star Tzuyang and extorting tens of millions of won through blackmail.

The Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office indicted the 39-year-old attorney, surnamed Choi, on multiple charges, including coercion, blackmail, extortion and breach of professional confidentiality.

Choi is accused of blackmailing Tzuyang, whose legal name is Park Jung-won, and her ex-boyfriend, who also served as the head of her company. The attorney became acquainted with the pair during a civil complaint filed by the ex-boyfriend against a company in October 2021.

While defending the company in the case, Choi learned about the personal relationship between Tzuyang and her ex-boyfriend. Prosecutors claim that Choi shared the information with cyber-wrecker YouTuber GooJeYeok, whose legal name is Lee Jun-hee, and used it to threaten the couple.

Cyber wreckers are YouTubers who create videos targeting specific individuals — usually celebrities — to attract viewers and generate revenue.

Choi, who had worked as a journalist from 2019 until recently, allegedly coerced the ex-boyfriend by threatening to publish a damaging article related to the civil complaint. In exchange for not releasing the article, Choi reportedly secured a legal advisory contract, received 1.5 million won ($1,100) and forced the ex-boyfriend to drop the case.

Further allegations suggest that Choi colluded with GooJeYeok to blackmail the ex-boyfriend, even going so far as to arrange for a video to be uploaded that exposed the romantic relationship between Tzuyang and her ex-boyfriend, which was not publically known at the time.

The attorney is also accused of aiding and abetting GooJeYeok's alleged extortion of 55 million won from Tzuyang.

In February last year, Choi defended the ex-boyfriend in legal proceedings initiated by Tzuyang against him. However, after learning that the two had settled, Choi allegedly leaked information about Tzuyang’s suspected tax evasion to GooJeYeok to reignite conflict between them, according to prosecutors.

Believing that her ex-boyfriend had leaked the information, Tzuyang filed a complaint against him again. In April, during the investigation, the ex-boyfriend died by suicide.

With the ex-boyfriend no longer alive to pay for his proceeds, Choi allegedly threatened Tzuyang just three days after the ex-boyfriend's death. The attorney signed a PR risk management contract with Tzuyang and received 23.1 million won.

As the blackmail scheme came to light after the YouTube channel HoverLab released a recorded phone call between the YouTubers involved in threatening Tzuyang, Choi allegedly forged the ex-boyfriend’s will to make it appear as though the information was provided under his instruction.

“Choi's actions, including leaking Tzuyang's private information to GooJeYeok and tampering with the ex-boyfriend’s will, are serious violations of legal ethics,” prosecutors said.

“By manipulating YouTubers rather than taking direct action, he sought to achieve his own financial gain and caused severe secondary harm to the ex-boyfriend and his family.”

BY CHO JUNG-WOO, CHOI MO-RAN [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]