Jomin, Witness Appearance at Gaseyeon 'Porsche Trial' Today

Gaseyeon Claims "Porsche Only Involved in a Very Small Part" and Pleads Not Guilty

Jo Min, the daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, will appear as a witness in the trial of the cast members of the 'Garosero Research Institute' (Gaseyeon), who have been indicted for defaming her honor.

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's daughter, Cho Min, is appearing as a witness in the trial related to the cancellation of her admission to the Busan National University Graduate School of Medicine on the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News

Judge Lee Jong-min of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 3 will hold a continuation trial at 2 p.m. on the 28th for lawyer Kang Yong-seok, former MBC reporter Kim Se-ui, and former Sports World reporter Kim Yong-ho, who were indicted for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation).

Earlier, at the trial on January 17, the prosecution's request to summon Jo as a witness was accepted by the court, leading to her attendance in court on this day.

Kang and others were brought to trial last September on charges of defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act. In August 2019, they released photos of a Porsche parked at the Busan National University School of Medicine on YouTube, claiming that Jo was driving a red sports car.

They argue for acquittal, stating that the statements in question were only a very small part of the entire broadcast on that day and that the purpose of the statements was to promote public interest.

Meanwhile, they previously lost in the first trial of a civil lawsuit filed by former Minister Cho. On June 10 of last year, the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 25 ordered Gaseyeon and the cast members to pay 10 million won to former Minister Cho, 30 million won to Jo Min, and 10 million won to her brother Jo Won, and to delete the YouTube videos containing false information. The appeal trial is currently underway.