Cooked-Up Phone Claim Brings S. Korea Prison Term

A South Korean who cooked his mobile phone in a microwave and then claimed compensation from the maker Samsung Electronics was Friday jailed for one year for extortion.

The 28-year-old surnamed Lee received about five million won ($4,500) in compensation from Samsung after claiming his phone exploded while being charged.

"Lee swindled Samsung out of compensation by capitalizing on the company's reluctance to ignore consumers' complaints," the court said in a verdict quoted by Yonhap news agency.

Following media reports about his claim, Lee staged a one-man protest outside the company's headquarters and at Incheon International Airport before being paid the compensation.