Popular Female Idol’s Stalker Gets Away From Legal Punishment

While South Korean law has promised a stricter crackdown on stalking crimes, a recent disappointing outcome has enraged netizens.

Image used for illustrative purposes only

A woman in her 50s, who was indicted on charges of stalking Apink‘s member Eunji for several years, has managed to avoid a prison sentence.

Eunji | @artist_eunji/Instagram

According to reports on January 18, KST, the 13th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, sentenced the stalker, identified by her surname, Cho, to one year in prison, deferred by a probationary period of 2 years. It implies that if Cho fulfills all the conditions of her probation, a judge might throw out her prison sentence afterward. Along with this, Cho has also been ordered to pay a fine of ₩100,000 KRW (about $74.70 USD), perform 120 hours of community service, and take 40 hours of stalking crime prevention classes.

The sentence has been criticized as too dilute for a retaliatory crime like stalking, that too of a popular public figure like Eunji. The idol has been stalked by Cho since March 2020, who allegedly sent her a total of 544 messages through text and social media. The content of her messages usually included a question asking Eunji to accept Cho as her maid and let her cohabit with her.

Image used for illustrative purposes only | Insider

Cho, who worked in delivery, is also accused of chasing Eunji’s vehicle from the KBS main building to her hair and make-up shop in Gangnam in May 2020. In July 2021, she stalked Eunji to her apartment, and the idol had to call the cops, who found her hiding near the entrance. After this incident, Eunji’s agency issued a strict warning against Cho, to which she responded that she would never message Eunji again.

However, in the following months, she kept terrorizing the singer with countless messages on Instagram and Bubble, leading to the idol canceling her Bubble service altogether in December 2021.

Eunji’s Bubble profile | Twitter

During the trial, the court noted that despite the considerable mental shock, pain, and anxiety of the victim, the defendant denied all the charges and showed no signs of remorse. Though the prosecution was able to prove all the charges against Cho, she evaded a prison sentence and has already appealed against the first trial ruling.

Seoul Central District Court | Wikimedia Commons

Many critics are considering this case as an instance of the new Stalking Punishment Act‘s failure to provide added security to victims of such crimes. According to this new law, introduced in 2022, an individual found guilty of stalking can be penalized with up to three years in prison or ₩30.0 million KRW (about $21,200 USD) in fines. In case a dangerous object or weapon is used by the perpetrator, the punishment can get extended to up to 5 years of imprisonment or ₩50.0 million KRW (about $35,400 USD) in fines. However, the law’s implementation has not shown much effect so far. According to the National Police Agency’s reported data, between October 2021 and August 2023, the rate of arrest by police among suspects in stalking crimes has been at a mere 3.3%.

With cases like Eunji’s, where the perpetrators get off with softer punishment, the concern is that it might encourage even more serious crimes. The demand for stricter punishment is also accompanied by demands for more protective measures for victims.