South Korean footballer Hwang Ui-jo faces a four-year prison sentence after admitting in court to illegally filming sexual encounters with his partners, Soccernet.football reports.
The 32-year-old striker, who previously played for Bordeaux and Nottingham Forest and now represents Turkish club Alanyaspor, pleaded guilty to the charges of recording intimate moments without his partners’ consent.
Initially maintaining his innocence, Hwang eventually confessed, offering a public apology in court.
“I sincerely apologise to the victims who have suffered as a result of my misdeeds. I sincerely ask for maximum leniency,” Hwang told the court as per KoreaTimes.
His case first emerged in June 2023 when his sister-in-law posted the explicit videos online in an attempt to blackmail him.
The scandal has left the player suspended from the South Korean national team since November 2022, where he previously scored 19 goals in 62 appearances.
According to prosecutors, Hwang filmed his encounters with two women on four separate occasions between June and September 2022 without their consent.
Despite the exposure of the videos through his sister-in-law, who has since been sentenced to three years in prison for blackmail, Hwang’s own legal troubles have continued. Prosecutors made it clear that no further details on the women involved would be released to avoid causing additional harm.
In court, Hwang expressed remorse. “I will not do anything wrong in the future and will do my best as a footballer,” he said. His sentencing is scheduled for December 18.