[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] Gu Mo (41), the operator of 'Pacman TV' who broadcasted that JTBC CEO Sohn Seok-hee and announcer Anna Kyung might be in an extramarital affair, has been detained.
Gu was sentenced to six months in prison on March 19 for defamation. On the 17th, the Criminal Appeals Division of the Seoul Northern District Court dismissed Gu's appeal, resulting in his detention, which he had avoided during the first trial.
On January 27, 2019, Gu aired a broadcast on the 'Pacman TV' channel suggesting that CEO Sohn and Anna Kyung might have had an inappropriate relationship. The broadcast concerned a hit-and-run and female passenger suspicion related to an incident in 2017 where Sohn allegedly hit a tow truck in a parking lot in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, and left without handling the accident.
The controversy arose during former KBS reporter Kim Woong's claim that CEO Sohn physically assaulted him in 2019. At that time, Kim alleged to major media outlets that Sohn committed a hit-and-run and that a female passenger was in the vehicle. Kim also reported being assaulted by Sohn while attempting to use this incident to request a job favor.
Various suspicions regarding the 'female passenger' were reproduced at that time. Gu conducted a broadcast related to this.
The court ruled in favor of CEO Sohn and Anna Kyung. They claimed in court that they were not in an extramarital affair and had never met in the parking lot, and the court accepted this based on immigration records and other evidence.
Furthermore, the court reportedly took the fact that Gu alone raised the affair allegations seriously, noting that mainstream media and other YouTube channels did not handle such claims. The court stated, "At that time, the media focused on the assault allegations by former reporter Kim and the hit-and-run suspicion involving CEO Sohn. There was no mention of an affair between CEO Sohn and Anna Kyung. The female passenger claim was a one-sided assertion by former reporter Kim and the tow truck driver. Other YouTube channels also took a reserved stance, so there was no reason to believe Gu's claims about Anna Kyung's involvement and the affair were true."
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