Man convicted on appeal for installing camera, recording conversations in ex-brother-in-law's home

A South Korean appeals court has convicted a man of illegally recording conversations by installing a home camera in the home of his former brother-in-law, the son of baseball manager Ryu Joong-il. The Seoul High Court overturned the initial acquittal, sentencing the man, identified as Park, to one year in prison, suspended for two years, and ordering 120 hours of community service.

The court found that Park had intentionally activated the recording function on the home camera, negating the defense's claim that the primary purpose was video recording. The judges stated that under the relevant law, the intention to record does not require it to be the sole or primary purpose.

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Given that the home camera with a recording function was installed and the automatic recording function was activated, the intent to record cannot be denied.

Meanwhile, Park's father, who was also charged in connection with the incident, was acquitted in the first trial and his acquittal was upheld by the appeals court. The case involved the installation of a hidden camera in the home of Ryu's son and daughter-in-law, who had recently separated.

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Even if the main purpose was video recording, the intent for recording is not required to be the main purpose under the Telecommunications Privacy Protection Act.