"Referring to Me as the 'Symbol of Fake News'"
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Producer (PD) Lee Young-don has taken legal action against claims that link him to the death of actress the late Kim Young-ae.
According to the legal community on the 28th, PD Lee recently filed a defamation lawsuit against Yoon Ho-jung, Emergency Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, Won Hee-ryong, nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and netizens who left malicious comments.
Jang Ji-won, a lawyer from the law firm Umyeon representing PD Lee, said in an interview with Sports Kyunghyang, "The complaint includes content related to terms like 'killer of self-employed people' mentioned by some, but the main part concerns the death of Kim Young-ae."
On the 28th, PD Lee stated through his YouTube channel 'Lee Young-don TV', "In the case of the Great King Castella incident, multiple reports confirmed that I had no connection, and in the Hwangto Pack incident, I was ultimately acquitted by the court. I do not believe politicians made such claims without knowing these facts. Legal action is inevitable to restore my reputation."
He specifically addressed the Hwangto Pack controversy related to actress Kim Young-ae, saying, "The broadcast titled 'Shock! Heavy metals detected in Hwangto Pack' tested all products sold on the market twice for heavy metals and aired the results." He explained, "Regarding the 'iron powder' mentioned in part of the broadcast, I, as the executive producer, and the production team filed civil and criminal lawsuits, but all were acquitted up to the Supreme Court."
On the 25th, PD Lee also reacted on his YouTube channel, saying, "During last year's primary, Yoon Ho-jung, then floor leader of the Democratic Party, referred to me as the 'epitome of fake news' and described me as a symbol of 'bad broadcasting' and 'bad news'."
He added, "(Emergency Committee Chairman Yoon) distorted the fact as if a famous deceased actress died because of me and also claimed that 'many self-employed people suffered damages due to my broadcasts,'" criticizing it as "character assassination."
He also claimed that during last year's presidential primary TV debate, when candidate Won referred to PD Lee as "a killer of self-employed people known by the entire nation" to Representative Hong, it seriously damaged his reputation in a debate watched by the entire nation.
Meanwhile, in October 2007, KBS aired a program titled 'Shock! Heavy metals detected in Hwangto Pack' on 'Lee Young-don PD's Consumer Report.' After the broadcast, 'Chamtowon,' the company that made the Hwangto Pack featured in the program, saw a sharp decline in sales and eventually went bankrupt, filing a defamation lawsuit against PD Lee.
The Supreme Court ruled, "Although the report contained false information, it had a public interest aspect. It is difficult to see that the defendants had the intent to interfere with the victim company's business by spreading false information," and acquitted PD Lee.
After the broadcast and legal disputes, Kim Young-ae's business declined, leading to her divorce from her husband, who was the chairman of the Hwangto Pack company. She battled pancreatic cancer from 2012 and passed away in 2017.
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