A YouTuber in their 30s who made hundreds of millions of won in revenue by distributing malicious false videos slandering celebrities, including Jang Won-young of the girl group IVE, appealed to the Supreme Court in protest of the appellate ruling.
According to legal sources on the 15th, the attorney for YouTuber A (36, female), who was indicted on charges including defamation and insult under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, filed a petition for appeal with the Incheon District Court the previous day, challenging the appellate ruling. A was said to have conveyed the position that the sentence was too heavy and the forfeiture order was unjust.
In the appeal, as in the first trial, the court sentenced A to two years in prison, suspended for three years, and ordered forfeiture of 210 million won.
From Oct. 2021 to June 2023, A was indicted on charges including defamation for posting 23 videos on the YouTube channel "Taldeok Sooyongso" that slandered seven public figures, such as celebrities and influencers.
A was found to have produced and distributed false videos such as "Jang Won-young, out of jealousy, blocked a fellow trainee's debut" and "Some celebrities engaged in prostitution or had plastic surgery," and pocketed 250 million won.
A also faced charges for uploading to the YouTube channel a video that insulted two other female idol group members by belittling their appearance.