According to legal sources on the 3rd, the Incheon District Court's Criminal Appeals Division 3 (Presiding Judge Choi Sung-bae) decided to grant bail to the female nightclub manager, identified as A, who was indicted on charges of extortion last month.
The court granted bail, anticipating that A's detention period would expire before the appellate court's sentencing hearing scheduled for the 16th of this month.
Under the current Criminal Procedure Act, the detention period (two months) can be renewed up to three times during appeals and other higher court proceedings.
A's detention period had been renewed three times from December 31 of last year to May 8 of this year following the first trial's verdict.
A was charged with calling Lee Sun-kyun in September 2023, claiming her phone was hacked and she was being blackmailed by B, and extorted 300 million won from him.
Lee Sun-kyun was under investigation for drug use allegations and was summoned by police three times over two months starting October 14, 2023. He was found dead near Waryong Park in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on December 26 of that year.
Reported by Ryu Ye-ji, TenAsia ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr