In their appeal trial, the individuals who threatened the late actor Lee Sun Gyun with blackmail have once again been given prison sentences.

On the morning of May 21, the Incheon District Court's Criminal Appeals Division 3, overseen by Judge Choi Seong-bae, conducted the final appeal hearing for A, a manager at an adult entertainment establishment, and B, a former actor, who were both accused of extortion.

During the proceedings, prosecutors requested a 7-year prison term for A, which matched their initial request from the first trial.

A's legal representative stated during the closing argument that A acted out of fear of an unidentified blackmailer and is now reflecting on their actions. A formal apology was also made to the family of the deceased.

Prosecutors did not recommend a sentence for B as their legal counsel was not present at the hearing.

In the first trial in December of the previous year, A was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison and is currently serving that sentence. B received a 4-year and 2-month sentence.

A was charged with extorting 300 million KRW (about 220,000 USD) from Lee Sun Gyun in September 2023. Apart from this case, A was implicated in drug-related crimes involving methamphetamine and ketamine from December 2022 to August 2023. A served a one-year prison term for these offenses in October of last year and reportedly has six previous convictions related to drug offenses.

B purportedly pretended to be a hacker to extort A and later directly blackmailed Lee Sun Gyun in October 2023, obtaining 50 million KRW (around 36,000 USD) in the process.