알시시 이집트 대통령 7일 국빈 방한…경제협력·인적교류 협의

A South Korean businessman has been sentenced to seven years in prison for operating an app that secretly records phone calls and tracks locations without the target's knowledge. The Korean Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice O Geum-mi, has confirmed the three-year prison term, five-year disqualification from operating a company, and 19.46 billion won in fines against the former operator of the surveillance app company, K C.

The app, which was marketed as a tool for parental supervision, secretly recorded up to 110,000 private conversations between individuals. The app's creators installed it on the target phones, making it difficult for the surveillance subjects to detect the app's operation. The business model was simple; for a monthly fee, users received access to the app's surveillance capabilities which ranged from 50,000 won for a single month to 150,000 won for three months.

The Supreme Court unanimously agreed that K C was jointly responsible for the infringement of communication privacy laws. K C was found guilty of using the app to sell extensive audio recordings of private conversations for high prices. The Supreme Court noted that K C actively promoted the app through public telephones, essentially acting as a storefront and salesman, collecting substantial profits in the process.