Seoul High Court convicts former brother-in-law for secret home camera recording

The Seoul High Court has overturned a previous acquittal, sentencing the former brother-in-law of former national baseball manager Ryu Joong-il's son to one year in prison, suspended for two years, and 120 hours of community service. The defendant was found guilty of violating the Protection of Communications Secrets Act by secretly installing a home camera equipped with recording capabilities in the couple's residence while they were undergoing divorce proceedings.

The court ruled that the defendant's intent to record conversations could not be denied, as the recording function was activated and the device was hidden under a box to avoid detection. The court rejected the defense's claim that the installation was for crime prevention, noting that video recording alone would have sufficed for such a purpose.

While the former brother-in-law was convicted, the defendant's father, who was also charged with instructing the installation, was acquitted, with the court finding insufficient evidence that he knew about the camera's automatic recording function. The legal dispute stems from a broader family conflict involving allegations regarding the former daughter-in-law's conduct with a student.