SEOUL, South Korea — Former international soccer player Hwang Ui-jo was sentenced to a one-year prison term, suspended, on Friday for illicitly recording sexual encounters with a woman without her permission.

Hwang, who was part of the South Korean national team, found himself removed from the roster in September 2023 following allegations of surreptitiously filming two women on four separate occasions in 2022.

The 32-year-old forward represented South Korea in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, contributing 19 goals over 62 national team appearances. In the legal proceedings, he was acquitted regarding one woman but was convicted concerning the other.

The Seoul Central District Court considered Hwang’s expressions of remorse but emphasized the necessity for a significant penalty. In the court’s statement, it was noted, “Given that he recorded the intimate acts using a cellphone without consent, the repeated nature of the offense, and the particulars of the recorded material, the gravity of the crime is substantial.”

Hwang made a name for himself in both South Korean and Japanese leagues before transferring to Bordeaux in 2019. After three seasons in France, he was acquired by Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League, although he never stepped foot on the pitch for the club.

Following a series of loan agreements, Hwang officially joined Turkish team Alanyaspor last September on a one-year contract.