The brother of Goo Hara has shared his thoughts on her ex-boyfriend Choi Jong Bum’s upcoming trial.

In September 2018, Goo Hara and Choi Jong Bum were involved in a physical altercation, and Choi Jong Bum blackmailed Goo Hara by threatening to release a sex tape.

In August 2019, Choi Jong Bum received a prison sentence of one year and six months, suspended for three years of probation. This means that if he commits an offense during the three-year probation period, he will serve out of his prison sentence for one year and six months. He was found guilty of four charges—intimidation, assault, coercion, and property damage. He was acquitted of the charge of filming the victim’s body without permission after the judge stated that it did not seem like the defendant went against the victim’s will, although the victim did not give consent.

In September 2019, both parties filed for an appeal and the case moved on to a second trial, which has been set for May 21. Goo Hara passed away in November 2019.

On April 6, Goo Hara’s brother Goo Ho In uploaded a video of Goo Hara singing at karaoke along with his thoughts about Choi Jong Bum’s trial. He also mentioned the “Goo Hara Act,” which Goo Ho In is calling for as a way to change unfair legislation over inheritance claims by parents who abandoned their children.

His full post is below:

Hello. This is the late Goo Hara’s older brother Goo Ho In. After recent news reports of Choi Jong Bum’s appeal trial starting in May, many people have been asking for our stance, so I would like to inform you as the representative of the victim’s family. As you may know, the perpetrator Choi received a probation sentence at his first trial and has been released back into society. But after being released on probation, Choi has shockingly shown an attitude that’s completely different from one of self-reflecting, by opening a salon and holding a grand opening party. My family and many people who cherished and loved Hara are furious at Choi’s shameless behavior. Unfortunately, the punishment for dating violence in our country is too lenient and weak when it comes to protecting the victim. We are still baffled by how Choi was acquitted of filming without consent and how he has returned to society after receiving a probation sentence despite acknowledging the extreme mental distress the victim endured due to his assault and threats. We once again insist on a strong sentence for the perpetrator Choi who had a large influence on Hara’s extreme decision. We sincerely hope that at least in the second trial, a just sentence will be served to the person who committed a horrible crime, through wise ruling stemming from universal common sense and a sense of justice. In addition, we hope that there will be systematic improvement for those suffering from dating abuse through this case. We are currently thinking of detailed and various methods about this with our legal representative Noh Jong Eon. We sincerely thank many people who have cherished and loved Hara. P.S. As a result of many people agreeing with the Goo Hara Act, we received 100,000 signatures on the petition I submitted to the National Assembly. Our petition has now been submitted following the National Assembly procedure and forwarded to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly. We hope that the Goo Hara Act will be created under the new National Assembly. Thank you once again to those in Korea and abroad who empathized with and signed the petition. From Goo Ho In.

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