Woman gets jail term for stalking superstar couple
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A South Korean court on Wednesday handed a six-month prison term to a woman who was convicted of stalking a local celebrity couple, singer and actor Rain and actress Kim Tae-hee.
The Seoul Western District Court also ordered 40 hours of psychological treatment for the defendant in her 40s, who was found to be suffering from mental illness.
"The defendant is a first-time offender and it does not appear as if she intended to harm the victims," the court said in its verdict, adding that she appears to have committed the crime under the influence of her mental state.
"However, she committed repeated acts of stalking, visiting the victims' residence multiple times and knocking on the door. ... She does not have a clear place of residence, her family is unable to help her treatment, and there is a substantial concern of her repeating the crime."
Stalking is punishable by up to three years in prison or up to 30 million won ($22,000) in fines. But the South Korean law also stipulates those suffering from mental illness can have their punishment commuted.
The defendant is accused of visiting the superstar couple's home in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 14 times from March to October in 2022. After local police slapped her with a penalty for committing a petty crime, she revisited the couple's home on Feb. 27, 2023, and knocked on the door. She visited their place of business on April 7 of the same year.
By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)
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