[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] Park Gwang-il, a Korean language instructor for the college entrance exam (Suneung), was sentenced to probation by the court for defaming competing instructors.
On the 3rd, the Suwon District Court Seongnam Branch Criminal Division 4 (Judge Yang Sang-yoon) announced that Park Gwang-il (44), who was charged with manipulating comments to defame competing instructors (defamation and obstruction of business under the Information and Communications Network Act), was sentenced to two years in prison with a three-year probation. Additionally, four employees of Park’s company who were also indicted received suspended sentences ranging from four months to one year in prison.
Earlier, Park was arrested and indicted on charges of posting 735 defamatory comments on various internet community sites from July 2016 to January 2019, pretending to be a student, to disparage other online lecture companies’ courses or criticize competing instructors’ hometowns, appearances, and academic backgrounds, together with his company employees.
Park’s side admitted that these crimes were committed with the purpose of disparaging competing instructors and companies to secure his own students. To avoid IP tracking, he established a company in the Philippines and used virtual private networks (VPNs) to access sites indirectly, creating hundreds of anonymous IDs to carry out comment manipulation. The number of instructors harmed by Park’s comment manipulation reached 22, and five companies suffered damages. One competing Korean language instructor was confirmed to have been subjected to 390 defamatory posts.
Previously, the prosecution demanded a three-year prison sentence for Park at the October sentencing hearing. The prosecution explained, "We comprehensively considered the fact that the defendant defamed competing instructors according to a plan over a significant period and that the crime brought considerable benefits such as increased sales."
In its ruling, the court stated, "The defendants pretended to be students and provided false information, causing confusion among other examinees and infringing on fair competition in the online lecture industry." However, the court also noted, "They admitted their wrongdoing, showed remorse, pledged not to repeat the offense, and reached settlements with the victims."
However, the court’s decision has sparked backlash from the affected companies and instructors. According to Kukmin Ilbo on the 4th, one instructor said, "We plan to submit an appeal petition to the prosecution." A victim instructor stated, "The extent of damage varies by victim. I understand that more than two-thirds, including myself who suffered significant damage, have not reached a settlement with Park." He added, "Park never offered a sincere apology to us even once, but submitted dozens of letters of remorse to the court."
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