Film 'Kim Kwang-seok' Director Lee Sang-ho.
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The news outlet Gobal News and reporter Lee Sang-ho, who raised suspicions of foul play in the death of singer the late Kim Kwang-seok, have been ordered to pay 100 million won in damages to Kim’s widow.
The Supreme Court’s 3rd Division (Presiding Justice Lee Dong-won) announced on the 29th that it dismissed the appeal filed by Kim’s widow Seo Hae-soon against Lee and Gobal News without a hearing, thereby upholding the lower court’s ruling that recognized their liability to pay 100 million won in damages.
A dismissal without hearing is a system where an appeal is rejected without substantive review if there are no special reasons such as legal violations.
Previously, in November 2017, Seo filed a claim for 700 million won in damages and requested a ban on the screening of the film "Kim Kwang-seok," alleging that Lee and others defamed her through the film and social networking services (SNS).
The first trial court ruled that Lee and Gobal News, which published the articles, must pay Seo 50 million won in consolation damages. However, Seo’s request to ban the film screening was not accepted.
At that time, the court stated, "Lee used definitive expressions such as ‘Kim Kwang-seok was murdered’ and ‘the plaintiff is a prime suspect’ in interviews," and added, "Statements such as ‘the plaintiff took the copyright from her in-laws’ and ‘neglected her daughter to death’ are recognized as false facts."
The appellate court also recognized Lee and others’ responsibility for defamation and doubled the compensation amount to 100 million won, citing that Seo’s personal rights were seriously infringed to the extent that recovery was difficult.
The court explained, "Not only did they simply report false facts, but they also spread falsehoods through public accusations to investigative agencies and press conferences, allowing a very wide audience to be exposed to Lee and others’ claims," adding, "This significantly increased Seo’s mental suffering."
Meanwhile, Lee is also undergoing a criminal trial on charges of spreading false information and defaming Seo’s reputation.
At the first preparatory hearing held on the 1st of last month, Lee’s defense attorney argued that "Lee had no intent," "the statements were factual, not false," and "the matter concerns the public interest, so there is no illegality."
Additionally, Lee’s side requested a jury trial at that time, but the court expressed at the second preparatory hearing held on the 27th that proceeding with a jury trial seemed inappropriate.
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