Former TV Chosun CEO Bang Jeong-oh Wins Defamation Suit Related to Jang Ja-yeon Correction Request

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Former TV Chosun CEO Bang Jeong-oh partially won a correction lawsuit against media outlets that reported his alleged connection with the late Jang Ja-yeon.

The Civil Division 15 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Presiding Judge Kang Seong-su) ruled on the 20th that Bang partially won the correction lawsuit he filed against media outlets and reporters including Hankyoreh Newspaper and Media Today.

The court ordered, "Within 7 days, a correction notice shall be published on the front page of the newspaper in the same font as the original article's headline and body," and "It shall be posted on the website for 24 hours and registered in the database (DB) for searchability after posting."

Hankyoreh Newspaper reported on April 2, 2019, as the front-page lead article that a businessman close to Bang testified to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Truth Investigation Team, saying, "Around 2014, Bang said, 'Around 2008 or 2009, there was a woman I met and contacted frequently for a short time who committed suicide. I asked someone who knew about this case to cover it up.' Later, I heard that woman was Jang." On the same day, Media Today reported that Bang had contacted Jang Ja-yeon several times and actually met her, and during that process, sent her a vulgar text message saying, 'You are so expensive.'

Bang filed a correction lawsuit in May of the same year, claiming the reports were false.

Bang also filed a lawsuit against KBS, but the court dismissed it. Earlier, in March 2019, KBS reported through the 'News 9' broadcast that "The Supreme Prosecutors' Office Past Truth Investigation Team secured testimony from a related party that there were call records between former CEO Bang and the deceased, and that Chosun Ilbo pressured the police to delete these records."

At the time, Bang completely denied the allegations, stating, "I never had any phone calls with Jang, and it is not true that I pressured the police."