A former gang boss and an ex-manager of South Korean movie star Kwon Sang-woo were indicted Tuesday on charges of blackmailing the star, prosecutors said.
Kwon is well-known as a mainstay in the recent boom in Korean pop culture, which has spread throughout Asia. He became especially popular in Japan because of broadcasts of "Stairway to Heaven," a Korean television series in which he starred.
Kwon's former manager, identified only by his family name, Paek, was arrested on charges of threatening to reveal Kwon's shortcomings to the media if he did not sign another two-year contract with Paek this fall, when the actor's contract with his current management company ends. Paek worked as Kwon's manager for two years from May 2003.
Prosecutors also indicted Kim Tae-chon, the former boss of a criminal ring called "Sobang-pa," on charges of trying to force Kwon to attend an event organized by his Japanese friend.
According to prosecutors, Kim called the actor several times to threaten him to "keep his promise" to attend a meeting with his Japanese fans, a lucrative event for the meeting's organizer.
Kim was jailed last November and remains in custody on charges of bribing officials at a jail in the southeastern city of Jinju.
Prosecutors took action against the alleged blackmailers as they wrapped up a three-month probe into crime rings linked to the local entertainment industry.
An in-depth investigation began when Kim was arrested upon returning from Japan in November. Kwon filed a lawsuit against Kim in May.
Kwon has appeared before prosecutors several times to answer questions about his complaint.
In addition, prosecutors indicted the head of Kwon's former management company without physical detention over allegations that he extorted 3.3 billion won (US$3.5 million) from the star's new management company. The businessman, identified only as Han, allegedly threatened the new management company to reveal the shortcomings of Kwon and other celebrities formerly affiliated with Han's company. Han was a member of an organized crime ring called "Sinhakdong-pa" before starting his own business, according to prosecutors.
The head of another management company was indicted without physical detention on charges of embezzling 43 billion won in company funds.
"We will continue to watch crime rings that have infiltrated local show business to protect Korean pop stars and the Korean cultural industry from criminal attempts," a prosecutor in charge of the case said, requesting anonymity.
Seoul, Feb. 6 (Yonhap News)
Ex-gangster, manager indicted for alleged blackmail of movie star |
