Judge gives couple access to what they say is evidence against Angelil

Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | 10:45 a.m.

District Judge Jackie Glass gave a couple accused of extorting money from Rene Angelil, singer Celine Dion's husband, access to the items they say can prove Angelil did sexually assault the wife.

Glass ordered this morning that a garment and towel allegedly bearing semen stains, along with other items, be sent to a lab for DNA testing.

The items were provided to Metro Police by Yun Kyeong Kwon Sung, 47, and her husband, Ae Ho Kwon, 50, as evidence of their allegations that Angelil raped Sung in her hotel room at the Imperial Palace in March 2000.

Police closed the case against Angelil without filing charges, citing a lack of evidence. Police said the garment could not be tested for DNA.

The couple settled a civil lawsuit in May 2000 with Angelil for $2 million. A year later Sung reported the alleged assault to police after another failed attempt to gain money from Angelil.

Authorities charged them with three extortion-related charges.

"Their contention is they allege she was going to expose something that wasn't true," Sung's attorney, Robert Langford, said this morning. "Our allegation is that is was true."

Angelil, in past interviews with the Sun, said he settled the case for $2 million in May 2000 because he didn't want the stress of the false allegations in his life at that time.

David Chesnoff, Angelil's attorney, said the couple was never able to provide testable evidence to police.

"There was no evidence against him and there never has been," Chesnoff said. "These people have never cooperated with police."

This morning's decision delayed the couple's trial, which was set to begin next week. It is now scheduled for Oct. 25

"They are desperate people trying to escape going to jail," Chesnoff said of the attempt to get the dress back from police.