SEOUL • South Korean singer Goo Ha-ra (above) said last month that she had attacked her boyfriend after he wanted to call it quits between them.

But he is now facing public outrage in the wake of a revelation that he had allegedly threatened her with revenge porn.

Media outlet Dispatch reported that the man surnamed Choi had threatened to release video footage of the two having sex.

Adding fuel to the fire, reported The Korea Herald, is the response by his lawyer to the alleged intimidation.

"Goo is the one who suggested filming the video in question first. The reason (my client) uploaded the video on KakaoTalk was to return the film back to the person directly involved," the lawyer told JoongAng Ilbo.

The comment drew flak online because sending a video file on a messaging app does not mean that the original file had been deleted from one's phone or that it had been "returned".

"Sending a film is returning it? That's a first," one person commented on Naver.

Against this backdrop, a petition was filed on the presidential office's website, calling for harsher punishments for revenge-porn offenders.

Law firm Shin & Kim, which is representing Goo, said it had filed multiple charges against Choi, including intimidation and breaching the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.

Those found guilty of sharing private films of a sexual nature could face up to three years in prison, even if the filming was consensual.