'Defamation Charges' Park Suhong's Sister-in-Law, Sentencing Postponed to December

"Daughter Receiving Psychiatric Treatment" Tearfully Pleads for Leniency

Broadcaster Park Soo-hong is making a statement while appearing as a witness at the continuation trial of his older brother, who was indicted and detained on embezzlement charges at the Seoul Western District Court in March last year. Photo by Yonhap News

The sentencing for Lee, the sister-in-law accused of defaming broadcaster Park Suhong, has been postponed to next month.

The Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 9 (Judge Kang Young-gi) held a sentencing hearing at 10:30 a.m. on the 6th for Lee, who was indicted on charges of defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection against Park Suhong and his wife Kim Da-ye. The sentencing hearing for Lee was originally scheduled for the 23rd of last month but was postponed once due to the court’s order for the prosecution to prepare clarifications and the resumption of arguments.

In the final arguments held that day, the prosecution claimed that the signatures on multiple contracts, including loans and mortgage registrations, were not Park Suhong’s according to the expert opinion but were those of Park Jin-hong, Lee’s husband and Park Suhong’s older brother. Lee’s side denied that the handwriting was hers. The prosecution requested the court to sentence Lee to 10 months in prison. The prosecution had also demanded a 10-month prison term at the trial held in September. The sentencing will take place on December 11.

Park Suhong and his wife filed a defamation complaint against Lee in October last year. According to the prosecution’s charges, Lee is accused of sending messages containing false information in a KakaoTalk group chat, claiming that Park Suhong "lived with a woman during his broadcast appearances" with the intent to defame him.

In the first trial, the prosecution stated, "This is a case of defamation by spreading fatal false statements about a celebrity victim to several acquaintances in a group chat room where information is easily disseminated, so the nature of the crime is not light," adding, "Lee has not taken any measures to restore the victim’s reputation, denies the crime, and shows no remorse, so please consider that the victim strongly hopes for severe punishment."

Lee’s side claimed innocence, stating, "There was no intention to defame the victim." In her final statement, Lee tearfully pleaded for leniency, saying, "I lived with my children and parents-in-law for 20 years after marriage, but because of one comment, I have been branded as someone who embezzled 11.6 billion won, and criticism toward my children has continued. My daughter has suffered mental shock and is receiving psychiatric treatment and psychological counseling."

Park Suhong’s older brother and his wife are also accused of embezzling about 4.8 billion won from company funds and personal finances while managing Park Suhong’s management from 2011 to 2021.