An alleged group has been charged and is set to stand trial for blackmailing a prominent South Korean singer. The group reportedly threatened to expose private photos obtained from the singer's old mobile phone unless they were paid 500 million KRW (approximately $353,000).

The Criminal Division 7 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office indicted a man named Hong on April 11 on charges of conspiracy to blackmail under the Act on the Punishment of Violent Acts. Hong, along with two others, is said to have demanded the payment from the singer to prevent the release of personal data and photos stored on the device.

The group successfully extorted around 100 million KRW (about $70,487) from the singer before their scheme was uncovered. The singer's management company reported the blackmail to the police, leading to Hong's arrest on March 17 in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province. Hong has been formally charged and detained after further investigation.

Another accomplice, identified as Kwon, who was already in custody for a different case, has also been indicted. A third accomplice, known as 'A,' is still under investigation, with prosecutors seeking additional information from the police to verify the details.

Moreover, one of the suspects admitted to authorities that he had previously been associated with a notorious organized crime group.