South Korea international Hwang Ui-jo has been given a suspended one-year prison sentence for secretly filming himself having sex with a woman.
The 32-year-old former Nottingham Forest striker had been charged with secretly filming himself having sex with two women who allegedly did not know they were being recorded. It is alleged this happened four times from June to September 2022.
He was convicted of charges related to one woman by the Seoul Central District Court but acquitted of charges related to the other, the Yonhap News Agency reports. His sentence has been suspended for two years.
“Given the seriousness of the socially harmful effects of illegal filming, it is necessary to punish strictly,” the court said, according to the Yonhap News Agency. The court did also note Hwang’s expressions of remorse.
As reported by Agence France-Presse, asked by reporters whether he had anything to say to the victim following the case, Hwang said he was “sorry”. “I personally apologise to football fans and genuinely feel very sorry,” he said.
Hwang had been under intense scrutiny since June 2023 when an Instagram account posted explicit clips from a sex video involving a woman who, it was alleged, had no idea she was being filmed. The court noted the video was shared on social media through a third party.
Hwang was charged with alleged sex offences in July 2024, following allegations that had already led to him being ruled out of selection for the national team.
In November 2024, the Korean Football Association (KFA) said Hwang would not be considered for international selection while the police investigation was ongoing.
He had made 62 senior international appearances for South Korea and represented his country at the 2022 World Cup.
The forward joined Forest in the summer of 2022 from French club Bordeaux in a £4million transfer but never made a senior appearance for the club.
Hwang had loan spells at Greek club Olympiacos, FC Seoul of South Korea, English Championship side Norwich City and Alanyaspor, who he joined permanently in September 2024, signing a one-year contract at the Turkish club.
(Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images))
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