Hwang's router was hacked, claims sister-in-law accused of leaking star footballer's sex tapes

A sister-in-law of Nottingham Forest midfielder Hwang Ui-jo denied accusations that she leaked Hwang’s sex tapes, claiming that Hwang’s internet router was hacked.

Hwang Ui-jo heads to a bench at a World Cup qualifer against China at Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre in Shenzhen, China last November. [YONHAP]

A sister-in-law of Nottingham Forest midfielder Hwang Ui-jo denied accusations that she leaked Hwang’s sex tapes, claiming that Hwang’s internet router was hacked.

“The telecommunication carrier which managed the internet network and router at Hwang’s temporary residence in Guri, Gyeonggi, suffered a large-scale hacking incident between 2018 and 2023,” the sister-in-law's lawyer said at Seoul Central District Court on Thursday.

“Several people visited his residence and were aware of the Wi-Fi password,” her attorney said. “Passwords for at-home Wi-Fi routers can be cracked easily. Thus, it has become the most common way to hack someone.”

Her legal team asserts that the videos were uploaded by the third party who hacked the router, not their client.

Her lawyer said location data from the Instagram account where the leaked videos and photos were posted show a log-in occurred at the address of Hwang's residence in Guri.

Her team will take steps to verify who logged into the account.

Hwang’s sister-in-law was indicted and detained in December on charges of uploading tapes of Hwang’s sexual encounters.

She is also accused of blackmailing Hwang.

BY KIM JI-HYE [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]