Hwang faces four years in jail over sex videos

South Korean footballer Hwang Ui Jo faces four years in jail after pleading guilty in court to illegally filming sexual encounters.

The former Nottingham Forest striker asked the judge to show leniency after being charged with recording himself having sex with women without their consent, a trial transcript said.

Prosecutors asked the Seoul Central District Court for a four-year jail term.

Hwang, 32, who now plays for Turkish club Alanyaspor, had initially claimed he was innocent before admitting to the offenses.

"Though he now acknowledges the wrongdoing, he had denied the allegations leading up to the trial," prosecutors said. "We question whether Hwang is sincere in his reflections ... for the irreparable damage inflicted upon the victims."

Hwang said he would use the incident as a "mirror of reflection" to live diligently as an athlete.

Known as "molka" in Korean, spycam videos are typically made by men who secretly film women in toilets and elsewhere, although the term can also be applied to clandestine footage of consensual sex.

The scandal came to light when his sister-in-law posted private explicit videos of Hwang in an attempt to blackmail him in June 2023. She is now serving three years in prison for blackmail.

One of the victim's attorneys, Lee Eun Eui, welcomed the prosecutors' demand for a four-year prison sentence. "It is at least comforting that the prosecution is seeking a four-year imprisonment," she told reporters after the trial, noting her client had been "deeply battered" through the entire affair.

Hwang has been suspended from the national team since November last year when the allegations were made. He is due to be sentenced on December 18.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE