Hwang Jung-min's Stalker Convicted: Court Orders Fine and 40-Hour Program After Years of Unwanted Messages

A South Korean court found a woman in her 40s, identified only as A, guilty of stalking actor Hwang Jung-min on the 8th, sentencing her to a 6 million won fine and ordering her to complete 40 hours of a stalking prevention program. The ruling came from the 4th Criminal Division of the Goyang Branch of Uijeongbu District Court, presided over by Judge Kim Yeong-a.

A did not appear for the sentencing. Only her defense attorney was present in the courtroom.

What the court found

The court determined that A had repeatedly sent messages to Hwang despite knowing he did not want contact. In its ruling, the court stated that "given the number and frequency of the texts, it is recognized that they were sufficient to cause the victim anxiety or fear," and that A "was aware the victim did not wish to continue receiving contact."

Critically, the court rejected A's argument that even a legitimate reason to reach out could justify her conduct. "Even if there had been a valid reason to make contact," the ruling read, "the content and frequency of the messages sent exceeded any level that could justify the defendant's actions."

During the trial, A had maintained her innocence, arguing that the communication was not one-sided. She admitted to sending Hwang messages that implied suicidal intent, along with a will and photographs of a dead cat, but claimed these were not intended to cause fear or distress. The court was not persuaded.

A long road to verdict

The case began after Hwang's side filed a criminal complaint in August of last year. A court initially issued a summary order of a 3 million won fine in February, but A contested it and demanded a formal trial. Prosecutors, at the final hearing last month, had sought a 10 million won fine, citing the extended duration of the stalking, the sheer volume of unsolicited contact, and the fact that A had continued posting threatening messages about Hwang and his family on social media even during the trial proceedings.

Public attention intensified on the 29th of July, when A posted on social media claiming she and Hwang had been in a romantic relationship, releasing what she said were messenger chat logs and call records as evidence. The authenticity of those materials has not been verified. Hwang's agency, SamCompany, pushed back firmly, calling A "a stalking suspect who has persistently harassed Hwang Jung-min" and noting that courts had imposed contact-prohibition measures against her three separate times.

Both sides plan to fight on

Neither party is accepting the first-instance ruling as the end of the matter. A's defense attorney announced plans to appeal immediately after sentencing, and indicated they intend to re-file a request for Hwang to testify as a witness.

SamCompany was equally direct. In a statement released the same day, the agency said the court had "recognized the defendant's sustained and malicious stalking as a whole as guilty" and characterized her conduct as actions that had "seriously violated the daily life of our actor." The agency added that it plans to pursue every available legal avenue over what it describes as the spread of false information and the release of what it calls maliciously edited recordings made during the trial period, and vowed "no leniency" toward any further actions by A.

A parallel civil case is also ongoing. A has filed a roughly 200 million won damages suit against Hwang, claiming he unilaterally withdrew from a business venture they were pursuing together. After Seoul Central District Court referred the case to mediation in June, Hwang's side rejected the mediation committee's compulsory settlement decision and submitted a formal objection, meaning the dispute will now proceed to full civil litigation.