Son Heung-min's national partner → crisis of imprisonment. Hwang Ui-jo's all-time downfall...'All charges of illegal filming' All acknowledged → Four years in prison, career end crisis"Please do leniency"

Oct 16, 2024

Soccer player Hwang Ui-jo, who is suspected of illegally filming, is heading to court to attend the first hearing on the alleged violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 16th.

Hwang Ui-jo, who once represented South Korea with Son Heung-min, is no longer expected to be easy to play as a soccer player.

The beginning of Hwang Ui-jo's case was in June 2022. Photos and videos of Hwang Ui-jo's private life were revealed through an SNS account. Claiming that he was in a relationship with Hwang Ui-jo, the reveler gaslighted numerous women in a way that avoided establishing a relationship because they had to go to bed and go abroad again if they acted as if they were in a relationship with the other person. Celebrities, influencer, and ordinary people are meeting with multiple people at the same time, and I don't know how many victims will be there in the future" and began to expose.

사진=UJ 스포츠

The revelations and posts spread quickly. In this regard, 'UJ Sports', which is in charge of Hwang Ui-jo management, said it would immediately proceed with legal action. At the time, UJ Sports said "All of the uploads through SNS are not true. We will strongly respond to the dissemination and dissemination of the privacy of the illegally acquired player, which has tarnished the player's reputation"We are requesting an investigation into the distributor who created and spread groundless rumors," he said.

Hwang Ui-jo posted his own handwritten statement on his personal SNS. The statement in question said. "I haven't done anything illegal in relation to my personal life like many people are concerned about. Including this, the content of the first article is also groundless. The person who posted is a criminal and total stranger who defamed me with false information and threatened me with the opportunity to own privacy videos through illegal channels." In other words, even at the beginning of the incident, Hwang Ui-jo claimed that he was the victim of a clear spread of privacy.

사진=황의조 SNS

However, during the police investigation, Hwang Ui-jo was converted to a suspect because he was suspected of illegally filming the video without the consent of the other party. Hwang Ui-jo even played the national team game under the call of coach Jurgen Klinsmann after the controversy broke out. Controversy grew as he played after being questioned by police as a suspect.

Daehwan, a law firm that served as Hwang Ui-jo's legal representative at the time, said in a statement, "(The video) was agreed upon between the couple at the time. Hwang Ui-jo does not currently possess the video and has never leaked it at allHwang Ui-jo countered that he had never illegally filmed the video.

Lee Eun-eui, an attorney for Hwang Ui-jo's alleged illegal filming, immediately issued a statement saying, "This is not true. The victim initially did not agree to Hwang Ui-jo's filming. If he knew about these things, he stepped on his doctor and asked him to erase them immediately after filming. While being investigated for this incident, there were cases where they did not know whether there was a filming or not. He claimed that Hwang Ui-jo's explanation was false.

For now, the Korea Football Association has decided not to call Hwang Ui-jo's controversy until it is clearly legally concluded. The reason was that the player was being investigated as a suspect, making it difficult to play a normal national team and that fans' expectations for the national team were high.

Shockingly, it was Hwang Ui-jo's brother-in-law who spread Hwang Ui-jo's private life. His brother-in-law reportedly exposed the video of his personal life in anger at Hwang Ui-jo. Hwang Ui-jo's brother-in-law objected after being sentenced to three years in prison in the first and second trials, but the Supreme Court rejected the appeal.

Hwang Ui-jo was indicted without detention after his brother-in-law's prison sentence was confirmed. In July, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office announced that it had indicted Hwang Ui-jo without detention on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (filming using cameras).

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Judge Lee Yong-je of the Seoul Central District Court held the first trial on Hwang Ui-jo's charges on the 16th. At that time, Hwang Ui-jo admitted all the prosecution, unlike the beginning of the controversy. It was found that he also submitted an opinion to the court to acknowledge the prosecution.

The prosecution said "It appears that the victim's wounds and shame were severe, and (the video) was circulated and serious damage was caused. It is questionable whether Hwang Ui-jo is truly reflecting on himself", and demanded a four-year prison term. It also asked the court to impose an order to complete a sexual violence treatment program, to disclose and notify personal information, and to restrict employment for five years.

Hwang Ui-jo will not do any wrong in the future and live with his best efforts as a soccer player, taking this as a mirror. I earnestly ask for the utmost leniency for this time only,' he said in tears to appeal to the court.

However, as long as he has admitted to the indictment, his career as a soccer player is virtually over. According to Article 14 of the operating regulations of the KFA Fair Commission, disciplinary action is possible in cases of violence, sexual violence, and serious damage to dignity as an athlete. Those who commit crimes related to sexual violence can also be expelled, which is the highest level of disciplinary action.

If he is sentenced to prison, it is difficult to live as a soccer player, not as a national team player. According to Chapter 3, Article 9, Paragraph 7 of the Korea Football Association's Player Registration Regulations, players who are being executed with a sentence of imprisonment or higher or who are under probation cannot register themselves. Even if player registration is possible in the future, no club will appear to embrace a player who has committed a crime that is absolutely unacceptable socially.

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Hwang Ui-jo made his debut with Seongnam FC and showed good performance before moving to Gamba Osaka and playing very well. Kim Hak-beom, who was leading the Asian Games national team at the time, picked Hwang Ui-jo as a wild card. Hwang Ui-jo became the leading player in the gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games with nine goals in seven games. After the tournament, Hwang Ui-jo was selected by head coach Paulo Bento and was also appointed as a national team member. There was a time when he received a lot of love for achieving a good partnership with Son Heung-min.

rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com