Sister-in-Law in Park Soo-hong Defamation Case to Appeal to Supreme Court After Fine Upheld

Seoul, South Korea – The sister-in-law of television personality Park Soo-hong, accused of defaming him by spreading false information about his private life, will now have her case reviewed by the Supreme Court.

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The circumstances argued by Ms. Lee are not sufficient to conclude that there was no potential for dissemination.

This development follows the Seoul Western District Court's upholding of a 12 million won (approximately $8,600 USD) fine against her in the second trial. The initial ruling also imposed the same fine. The charges stem from messages she allegedly sent to a group chat, claiming Park was living with a woman, which prosecutors deemed defamatory.

During the appeals process, the sister-in-law's legal team argued that the information she shared was factual and that she had no intention of slandering Park. However, the appellate court rejected these claims, stating that the evidence did not support the assertion that the messages lacked the potential for widespread dissemination. The court also pointed to subsequent actions, such as acquaintances of the sister-in-law commenting on news articles related to the allegations, as proof of the case's public nature.

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It can be judged that Ms. Lee made statements as if she had frequently witnessed (the victim) being with a woman, thereby stating false facts.

The court specifically found that her message, implying she had frequently witnessed Park with a woman, constituted the dissemination of false facts. Park Soo-hong and his wife filed a defamation lawsuit against her in October 2023. The initial ruling in December 2023 emphasized the severity of her actions, citing her intent to create favorable public opinion for her own legal disputes and to slander Park, thereby spreading falsehoods through online comments.

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Ms. Lee committed the crime with the intent to create favorable public opinion for her and her husband's legal dispute and to slander the victim, spreading false facts through internet comments, making the nature of the crime bad.