Court: "Not Gross Negligence... Invasion of Portrait Rights Also Minor"
Former Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, Lee Dong-kwan, lost the first trial in a damages lawsuit he filed against YTN for displaying his photo as the background image during news coverage of the stabbing rampage incident in Bundang.
On the 24th, Judge Woo Kwan-je of the Civil Division 941 at the Seoul Central District Court ruled against the plaintiff in the 300 million KRW damages lawsuit filed by former Chairman Lee against former YTN President Woo Jang-gyun and YTN executives.
The court stated, "The plaintiff had sufficient opportunities to express and refute his position regarding the broadcasting accident by distributing press releases to the media," and added, "It is difficult to conclude that the plaintiff's objective social evaluation was harmed due to the broadcasting accident."
Furthermore, the court explained, "This broadcasting accident occurred during the reporting process in the public interest, and it is difficult to recognize intentional or gross negligence on the part of the defendants; however, the extent of the plaintiff's portrait rights infringement is minor."
YTN displayed a photo of former Chairman Lee for about 10 seconds as the anchor background (during the anchor's commentary) in news coverage related to the suspect of the Bundang stabbing rampage incident in August of last year.
In response, former Chairman Lee filed a criminal complaint against YTN executives and also filed a damages lawsuit.
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