Goo Hara’s Brother has shared his thoughts on his sister’s ex-boyfriend Choi Jong Bum’s upcoming trial.
Choi Jong Bum is widely hated among fans for the torture he inflicted on Hara with his terrible actions, they were involved in a physical altercation, and Choi Jong Bum blackmailed Goo Hara by threatening to release a sex tape which turned her life upside down. He even attempted to sell it to Dispatch.
To make matters worse, at the time of the trial (August of 2019), he was given a prison sentence of one year and six months, suspended for three years of probation. This means that he will not spend time in prison, and if he commits an offense during this period he will serve the prison sentence stated in the original verdict.
He was found guilty of four charges—intimidation, assault, coercion, and property damage, however, the judge acquitted of the charge of filming the victim’s body without permission citing that the defendant didn’t seem like she was filmed against her will, despite the fact that Hara didn’t even consent to this.
The judge received massive backlash for the verdict and fans have been petitioning to punish Choi Jong Bum harder for his terrible crimes citing that the Korean justice system doesn’t take such crimes seriously enough.
An appeal was filed in September of 2019 and the trial was set to May of 2020, Goo Hara passed away in November of 2019. After the news was revealed, fans petitioned to punish Choi Jong Bum on various social media outlets, he received massive hate and backlash, many fans attribute Hara’s extreme choice to his disgusting actions.
Goo Hara’s Brother has been vocal about many things since his sister’s passing and on April 6, he took to instagram to share his thoughts on the upcoming trial describing the family stance on this issue.
He said,
“As some of you might know, the perpetrator Choi received a probation sentence at his first trial and came out to society. He has shown a shocking attitude after being released on probation going on to open a salon and holding a grand opening party.
My family and everyone who cared for Hara were furious with his shameless behavior.”
The brother shed light on how lightly Korea takes dating violence crimes. He expressed his shock at how he was acquitted of filming without consent and how he was allowed back to society despite acknowledging the extreme mental distress Hara suffered because of him.
He added,
“We once again urge for strong punishment for the perpetrator Choi, who has largely influenced Hara’s extreme choices. We sincerely hope that in the second trial, through the wise decisions of the courts that fit the universal common sense and sense of justice, the proper punishment can be given to those who commit such atrocious crimes.
In addition, we hope that there will be a systematic improvement for those suffering from dating abuse through this case. We’re currently thinking of a detailed method about this with our legal representative Noh Jong Eon.
We sincerely thank everyone who loved and cherished Hara.”
What do you think of this?
