'Defamation of Cho Kuk' YouTuber Ordered to Pay 10 Million Won in Damages

Jo Guk, leader of the Jo Guk Innovation Party, won a court order requiring conservative YouTuber Woo Jongchang to pay damages for claiming that Jo met with the first trial judge of the political scandal case while serving as the Blue House Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 17th, Kim Soo-kyung, presiding judge of Civil Division 51 at the Seoul Northern District Court, issued a compulsory mediation order on the 28th of last month, requiring Woo to pay 10 million won in damages to Jo in the lawsuit filed by Jo against Woo.

Neither party filed an objection, so the decision was finalized on the same day.

Jo’s legal representatives stated regarding the court’s decision, “Although the punishment and compensation are light compared to the damage suffered by Jo, it is fortunate that the substantive truth was revealed belatedly through the court proceedings and that certain legal responsibilities were imposed on the perpetrator.” They added, “We hope that this case will prevent the illegal act of indiscriminately spreading baseless false information through YouTube and other platforms simply because someone is a public figure from recurring.”

In March 2018, Woo made statements on his YouTube channel video implying that Jo, while serving as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, met and dined with the first trial judge of former President Park Geun-hye’s case at a Korean restaurant near the Blue House.

In response, Jo filed a police complaint against Woo in 2019 for defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act and subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking 100 million won in damages in August 2020. In February of this year, the Supreme Court upheld a sentence of six months imprisonment with one year probation for Woo.