[Breaking] The Tamasa Wins Lawsuit for Damages Filed by Owner of Music Cafe in 'Cheongdam-dong Drinking Party' Allegation Report

The owner of the music cafe, identified as the so-called location of the ‘Cheongdam-dong drinking party suspicion,’ lost a lawsuit for damages filed against the YouTube media outlet ‘Citizen Press The TamSa,’ which reported on the related allegations.

On the 12th, the Civil Division 25 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Song Seung-woo) ruled against the plaintiffs, including music cafe owner Lee Miki (real name Lee Bo-kyung) and one other, in a lawsuit demanding the deletion of videos and damages against former The TamSa representative Kang Jin-gu and four others. The court stated, "All claims of the plaintiffs are dismissed. Litigation costs shall be borne by the plaintiffs," resulting in a loss for the plaintiffs.

The ‘Cheongdam-dong drinking party suspicion’ surfaced in October 2022 when former Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Ui-gyeom raised the issue during a comprehensive audit by the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee. The allegation involves President Yoon Seok-yeol and People Power Party leader candidate Han Dong-hoon having a late-night drinking party with about 30 lawyers from the law firm Kim & Chang at a high-end bar in Cheongdam-dong on July 19-20, 2022.

At the time, a cellist who was said to have been at the drinking party disclosed a phone call in which she mentioned the incident to her ex-boyfriend, and The TamSa reported the suspicion, naming Lee’s cafe as the dining location. However, during a police investigation in November 2022, the cellist testified that she "lied to deceive her ex-boyfriend."

In response, Lee filed a lawsuit in June last year demanding the deletion of the videos and damages, claiming that The TamSa’s report damaged her business revenue and reputation.