Park Sun-hyeok, known as the "battery ajeossi," has been indicted on charges of spreading rumors such as a "Chinese spy theory" about Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, and his cohabiting partner Kim Hee-young, a director at the T&C Foundation.
The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office said on the 8th that it indicted Park without detention on Nov. 19 on charges of defamation by spreading false information under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
Park is accused of defaming Chey and Director Kim by stating false information about them on his YouTube channel "Park Sun-hyeok Ugongisan TV" in late January last year.
In a video titled "Reconstruction of crimes committed by the Central Election Commission, Part 1," Park said, "SK is actually showing many pro-China and dangerous behaviors, and one of them is Kim Hee-young," adding, "It is all connected. There is a high possibility she is a Chinese spy."
Park also said, "China really wants to have SK hynix," adding, "If you think in terms of not sparing any means or methods, doesn't China desperately need semiconductors?"
He went on, "How can you make (SK hynix) China's? You make a Chinese person the successor," adding, "Hand SK hynix over to the child born between Kim Hee-young and him, and then China can recruit the kid."
Park said, "Then what is needed? He has to get a divorce," adding, "That is why (the chairman) is trying to divorce Roh Soh-yeong."
Chey filed a complaint with police against Park in late February last year, about a month after Park posted the video. After investigating, police sent the case to prosecutors in July last year.
Park reportedly denied the allegations on the grounds that his remarks in the video were merely expressions of opinion. However, prosecutors are said to have indicted him, determining that they were not simple suspicions or expressions of opinion.