A woman, identified only as A, who extorted a whopping 800 million won from singer and musical actor Kim Junsu, has now appealed her seven-year prison sentence for blackmail.

According to Newsis, A, a woman in her 30s, was sentenced on charges of blackmail under the Specific Economic Crimes Aggravated Punishment Act. She was given the harsh sentence by the Uijeongbu District Court, but on February 7th, she appealed the ruling.

On February 6th, the court sentenced A to seven years behind bars, with the judge calling the crime "severe" and acknowledging the significant "economic and emotional damage" suffered by the victim. "The victim has petitioned for a harsh punishment," the court added.

The court also revealed that A had used recordings of private conversations and photos to extort money from Kim Junsoo when their relationship began to fall apart. “The defendant admitted to everything, and all related evidence was found guilty,” the court said.

Between September 2020 and October of the previous year, A blackmailed Kim Junsu 101 times, demanding money and goods under the threat of leaking intimate recordings and photos.

Kim Junsu, who filed a complaint, explained that he had met A under the belief she was a nail artist, and he had been extorted for five years. His agency, Palm Tree Island, stressed that the star was targeted because of his celebrity status.

"Kim Junsu is clearly the victim," the agency said, adding, "After discovering multiple victims of A's blackmail, he decided to take legal action to prevent further harm."

Source: [1]

BLACKPINK’s Lisa recently revealed the challenges of being the CEO of her own company, LLoud, and shared some behind-the-scenes insights into the struggles of managing her own business.

In a February 28th video uploaded to the YouTube channel Zip Daesung, Lisa sat down as a guest and opened up about her journey as a one-person CEO.

During the shoot, as Lisa was getting her hair touched up, Daesung casually asked, "Have you been working with this crew for a long time?" to which Lisa replied, "Over a year. Ever since I started my company." She was referring to LLoud, the agency she founded just last year.

While discussing her experiences, Lisa added, "It’s fun. Of course, there are difficult parts," but quickly shifted the conversation, jokingly saying, "Aren’t you getting touched up?"

Daesung laughed and explained that his stylist wasn’t around at the moment, "The person who does that is off work. They’ll come back later after working nearby. It’s a bit more flexible." He joked further, "But we only pay for the time they’re here, and if they’re not here, we don’t pay for that time."

Lisa responded humorously, "I don’t think that’s bad. It’s good. Then, please step out for a moment. I don’t need any touch-ups." Her playful remark lightened the mood.

The conversation turned more serious when Daesung asked, "Do you ever feel like a CEO? Do you realize how much money goes out in unexpected places? Do you think, 'Oh, the company paid for this'?"

Lisa responded honestly, saying, "The music video costs are insane. It’s no joke." She went on to explain that managing the costs for music videos can be overwhelming, especially when you’re running a business alone.

Daesung agreed, commenting, "Yeah, both for us and for BLACKPINK, there’s a certain scale we’re used to from YG. The music itself is that kind of style, right?" He then asked, "When making a music video, do you just say, 'Can you please lower the cost?'"

Lisa didn’t hesitate to answer, saying, "Yes, I always ask them to reduce it." She elaborated, "I talk about the budget and ask for help. But it always ends up exceeding the budget. We just want to do our best. We want to meet the expectations."

It’s clear that Lisa’s commitment to her work goes beyond the financials, always striving to meet high expectations despite the challenges that come with running a company.

Source: [1]