'I liked you since elementary school': Person fined for dozens of messages to old classmate

A person in their 20s who expressed romantic interest in a former elementary school classmate and continued making contact dozens of times despite a police warning has been fined.

Judge Jeong Jong-geon of the Chuncheon District Court's Criminal Division 1 on Saturday fined A, 23, 1 million won ($751) for violating the Stalking Punishment Act. The court also ordered A to complete 40 hours of a stalking treatment program.

A was summarily indicted on charges of stalking former classmate B — with whom contact had lapsed since elementary school graduation — by sending 14 direct messages or attempting phone calls to B's social media account between July 14 and July 19, including messages such as "I liked you since elementary school but held back" and "Let's grab a meal sometime."

After receiving a police warning to stop contacting or approaching B, A sent another message roughly 25 minutes after B filed the report and went on to send 16 more direct messages through July 21. A contested the summary order and requested a formal trial.

The court said A's culpability was not light, noting that A had repeatedly sent messages against the victim's wishes and continued the conduct even after being warned by police. The court added that it had taken into account a petition for leniency from the victim's mother, who said she was well acquainted with A's health and family circumstances, in determining the sentence.