Bail lowered for couple charged with extortion

Wednesday, March 12, 2003 | 11:21 a.m.

A District Court judge lowered bail Tuesday for the California couple accused of trying to extort millions of dollars from Celine Dion's husband.

District Judge Jackie Glass lowered bail for Kyeong Yun Sung and her husband, Ae Hoe Kwon, from $100,000 each to $10,000 each.

Police allege the couple threatened to go public with their claims that Rene Angelil sexually assaulted Sung at the Imperial Palace in March 2000 if he did not pay them $13.5 million.

Police investigated the claims but closed the case without filing charges against Angelil.

As of Tuesday evening, Sung, 47, and Kwon, 50, were still housed at the Clark County Detention Center, their attorney, Robert Langford, said.

The couple is expected to post bail by the end of the week, he said. They are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.

Glass lowered the couple's bail with the stipulation that they surrender their passports to the court before their release.

The couple is permitted to travel only in Nevada, California and Louisiana. Langford said the couple may have other legal matters pending in Louisiana, but declined to comment further.

The couple turned themselves in to authorities after a warrant was issued for their arrest.