(image: KobizMedia/ Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, June 27 (Korea Bizwire) — A Seoul court on Monday ruled that secretly entering a partner’s smartphone password to access information about their past relationships can lead to criminal punishment.
The Seoul Central District Court imposed a suspended fine of 300,000 won (US$230) to a 30-year-old woman charged with unauthorized access to electronic records.
The woman was accused of covertly entering her boyfriend’s smartphone password in December 2020 to obtain contact information and videos of his ex-girlfriend.
During the court proceedings, she argued that she simply used the password provided by her boyfriend to rebuild trust following complications in their romantic relationship.
However, the court ruled that her actions of searching through her boyfriend’s smartphone to access the ex-girlfriend’s contact information and videos clearly violated his intentions.
Therefore, it constituted the acquisition of prohibited information through technological means, which is prohibited under criminal law.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
