Broadcaster Park Soo-hong's sister-in-law was sentenced to a fine again in the appeals court on charges of defamation for spreading false information.
On the afternoon of the 23rd, the criminal appeals division 1 of the Seoul Western District Court (presiding judge Director General Ban Jeong-woo) opened the appeal trial on the defamation charge under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection against Park Soo-hong's sister-in-law, a person surnamed Lee, and sentenced her to a fine of 12 million won.
Lee was prosecuted on charges of defaming him by distributing false information in a group chat alleging that Park Soo-hong had lived with a woman in the past. According to the prosecution, Lee allegedly left messages in the group chat saying that Park's elder brother, who is her husband, had embezzled funds was false, and that Park Soo-hong had lived with a woman at the time of his broadcast, among other messages.
The prosecution said, "This is a case in which the defendant damaged the reputation of a celebrity victim by making fatal false statements in a group chatroom that is easily spread to multiple acquaintances, and the criminal nature is not light," and sought a prison term of 10 months. However, Lee insisted on her innocence, saying, "I had no intention of defaming the victim," and in tears appealed for leniency, saying in her final statement, "Because of one comment, I was labeled as someone who embezzled 11.6 billion won and criticism toward the children followed. My daughter is receiving psychiatric treatment."
However, at the first trial held in December 2024, the court said, "Even though Lee did not directly witness the facts, she often talked in the group chat as if she frequently saw 'whether there was always a woman,' and she passed this on; even if Lee asked about a true fact, the act itself cannot be considered to have a justifiable reason," and found Lee guilty, sentencing her to a fine of 12 million won.
Afterward, both the prosecution and Lee's side filed appeals against the first trial's sentence. At the final hearing held on the 25th of last month, Lee's lawyer argued, "Lee repeatedly saw a woman's belongings at Park Soo-hong's house and had considerable reason to believe he lived with a woman based on that," and claimed that defamation by false statements did not apply. In her final statement Lee also emphasized that it was "a highly personal conversation with acquaintances" and said, "I apologize for causing hurt to Park Soo-hong and Ms. Kim Da-ye through this conversation." The prosecution, meanwhile, sought the same 10-month prison term as in the first trial.
Meanwhile, the court imposed the same fine of 12 million won in the second trial as in the first. The court judged that the messages Lee posted in the group chat constituted statements of false facts.
Separately, Lee had earlier been found guilty along with her husband, who is Park Soo-hong's elder brother, of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement). In February the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and finalized a sentence of 3 years and 6 months in prison for Park's elder brother and a sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 2-year suspended sentence for Lee.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]