A man in his 60s has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for plotting to abduct multiple celebrities for ransom, having been foiled when he attempted to recruit an accomplice from a government list of registered sex offenders.
The Ulsan District Court recently found the man guilty of making preparations to commit robbery, under Article 343 of the Criminal Act. He was also ordered to wear an electronic anklet tracking device for five years after release.
The defendant in November schemed to kidnap several well-known celebrities, star lecturers and members of wealthy families. He acquired the home addresses and license plate numbers of the targets, took weapons, binoculars, handcuffs, and zip ties from his home in Ulsan to Seoul during his weeklong reconnaissance.
His downfall came after looking for an accomplice on a government-run website that publicizes sex offenders' personal information.
He met someone he contacted via the information on the site, suggesting "a good business proposition with profit of between 1 billion won and 2 billion won ($740,000-$1.4 million)."
He explained the details of the plan, but when the person did not respond to his proposition he decided to go it alone.
During the defendant's preparations in Seoul, he was arrested by police, who were tipped off by the person he had approached to help him.
The defendant claimed that he never intended to actually carry out the crime, but the court rejected his claim. It pointed out that the defendant had planned the crime in detail and prepared equipment for it, and researched the areas where the targets lived.
It also noted that the defendant had been convicted of robbery in the past.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
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