SEOUL: A woman in her 30s has been sentenced to one year in prison for falsely accusing her boyfriend of rape and using the claim to extort money from him, a court said Sunday (July 5).
The Jeonju District Court convicted the 35-year-old woman of false accusation and extortion, finding that she threatened to file a sexual assault complaint against her boyfriend, a civil servant, unless he paid her tens of millions of won.
According to the ruling, the woman demanded money from the man after he tried to end their relationship following a dispute over money.
She later told him that a sexual assault record would follow him until retirement and could cost him his job.
The man, fearing damage to his career, signed a written pledge related to marriage funds and wired her about 30 million won ($19,600), the court said.
After he sought legal advice and demanded the money back, the woman filed a police complaint falsely accusing him of rape.
She also contacted his superior and claimed she had been sexually assaulted, seeking personnel action against him.
The court rejected her claim, citing call recordings and text messages, and said the evidence showed the two had consensual sex.
"The defendant exploited the victim's status as a civil servant and extorted money from him by threatening to file a sexual assault complaint," the court said, adding that she denied the charges and showed no remorse. - The Korea Herald/ANN
