Ban Minjeong, After First Trial Verdict, States on SNS "All Contents of Jo Deokje's Broadcast Are False"
On November 7, 2017, actor Jo Deok-jae expressed his position regarding the sexual harassment controversy involving an actress at a rebuttal press conference held at P&T Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Actor Jo Deokje (53), who was sentenced to prison for defamation against an actress he sexually harassed, has appealed the verdict.
According to Uijeongbu District Court on the 18th, Jo submitted an appeal against the first trial verdict on the same day. Accordingly, Jo will face the appellate trial at the same court's collegiate bench.
Previously, on the 15th, Judge Park Changwoo of the Uijeongbu District Court Criminal Division 2 sentenced Jo, who was indicted without detention on charges of defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act, insult, and violation of the Sexual Violence Punishment Act (breach of confidentiality), to 1 year and 2 months in prison and ordered his immediate detention.
The court stated at the time, "Jo made baseless assumptions and presented false facts," adding, "He produced and posted videos different from the actual scene of the forced molestation, making it appear as if the victim gave false testimony."
Jo was prosecuted for repeatedly posting false information online and elsewhere to defame actress Ban Minjung, the victim, between 2017 and 2018 while his sexual harassment trial was ongoing.
Regarding this, Ban Minjung posted on her Instagram on the day of Jo's first trial verdict, stating, "The actions of defendant Jo Deokje and Jung Mo are clearly 'acts of harm,' not within the realm of 'freedom of expression,'" emphasizing, "All the claims made by Jo and others through posts and broadcasts have been confirmed as false by the criminal ruling."
Ban said, "I have suffered immense pain for about six years," and lamented, "Due to the defendants' actions, I was branded by the public as a false accuser, a blackmailer, and an abusive woman, losing everything."
She continued, "During the legal process, I attempted self-harm and extreme measures several times, physically and mentally collapsed, and my entire life was shaken," adding, "(Yet the reason I endured until the end) was because I wanted to be a hope for other sexual crime victims that if they just stay alive, the truth will eventually come out."
Meanwhile, Jo was indicted in April 2015 on charges of forcibly touching Ban Minjung's body without prior consent during a film shoot.
In September 2018, the Supreme Court upheld the original sentence of 1 year imprisonment with 2 years probation and 40 hours of sexual violence treatment program for Jo.
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