YouTuber Gu Je-yeok (real name Lee Jun-hee) has been sentenced to three years in prison in the first trial. The 14th Criminal Division of Suwon District Court (Judge Park Il-rang) held the sentencing trial on the 20th. He faced charges of threatening and extorting money from YouTuber "Tzuyang" (real name Park Jung-won).
Gu Je-yeok was sentenced to three years in prison and was taken into custody in the courtroom. Previously, the prosecution had demanded a four-year sentence. The court pointed out, "Gu Je-yeok did not show any remorse even up to the point of appearing in court."
The court further criticized, "The amount extorted from the victim is not small, and the damage has not been recovered." It also noted, "After the incident became known, he tried to manipulate public opinion by claiming that he was helping the victim."
On this day, the sentencing trials for lawyer Choi Mo, YouTuber Jujak Gambyulsa (real name Jeon Kuk-jin), Caracula (real name Lee Se-wook), and Crocodile (real name Choi Il-hwan) were also conducted.
Choi was sentenced to two years in prison. He was charged with extorting 23.1 million won under the pretext of crisis management PR consultation, exploiting Tzuyang's personal matters. He also faced charges for demanding promotions for his products and gaining economic benefits.
The court criticized, "Choi, as a lawyer, is bound to uphold professional ethics. Lawyers have a duty to uphold fundamental human rights and realize social justice."
Jujak Gambyulsa and Caracula were sentenced to suspended prison terms. Jujak Gambyulsa received a sentence of one year with three years of probation, similar to the charges against "Gu Je-yeok." Caracula also received a sentence of one year with three years of probation, while "Crocodile" received a fine of 5 million won. Both were charged with aiding and abetting extortion.
Regarding Jujak Gambyulsa, the court considered factors such as "admitting to the crime, not taking a lead role in the extortion, and the relatively small amount of 3 million won gained from the crime."
For Caracula, the court noted, "He admitted to aiding and abetting extortion, the victim did not wish for his punishment, and he deposited 20 million won."
Gu Je-yeok and Jujak Gambyulsa were charged with threatening Tzuyang in February 2023 by stating, "We have received reports about your tax evasion and personal life. If you pay, we won't publicize it," and extorting 55 million won.
Notably, Gu Je-yeok forced Tzuyang to film YouTube content by demanding, "If you don't want it publicized, promote my acquaintance's restaurant." Gu Je-yeok and Jujak Gambyulsa were formally charged and detained on August 14 last year.
Caracula and Crocodile allegedly advised Gu Je-yeok, "Rather than posting an exposé video on Tzuyang, it's more profitable to directly extort money from her."
<Photo source: Gu Je-yeok YouTube channel capture>
