A sister-in-law surnamed Lee, who was brought to trial on charges of spreading false information about TV personality Park Su-hong's private life, was also fined on appeal.
On the 23rd, according to legal sources, the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Ban Jeong-woo, senior judge) sentenced Lee to a fine of 12 million won in the appeal, the same as in the first trial, on charges of defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
The court said messages Lee posted in a KakaoTalk group chat constituted the allegation of specific false facts. Lee was indicted on charges of sending messages containing false information, including that Park lived with a woman while appearing on a TV program, to a KakaoTalk group chat. Lee was also charged with making claims to the effect that Park lied that his sister-in-law and older brother embezzled his money to slander them.
Earlier, the trial court of first instance found that Lee spread false information with the intent to defame Park and ruled the offense serious, sentencing a fine of 12 million won.