Ex-Husband Who Spread False Rumors About "Kim Mihwa Oedo" Also Found Guilty in Appeal Trial

Allegations of 'Oedo and Extramarital Children', Legal Punishment for Spreading False Information

The ex-husband of broadcaster Kim Mihwa, who was prosecuted for spreading false information about her, received a suspended prison sentence again in the appellate court.

On the 15th, the Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 4 dismissed the appeals from both the plaintiff and the defendant in the appellate trial of Kim Mihwa's ex-husband Mr. A, who was prosecuted for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (defamation), upholding the original sentence of 10 months imprisonment with a 2-year suspension.

Broadcaster Kim Mi-hwa is speaking at the memorial cultural event for the late Roh Hoe-chan, floor leader of the Justice Party, held in 2018 at Yonsei University Auditorium in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam

This case began when Mr. A raised suspicions of Kim's infidelity and extramarital child on YouTube in 2021, and Kim filed a complaint for spreading false information. Kim married Mr. A in 1986 but filed for divorce in 2004, claiming domestic violence, and they divorced by mutual consent in January 2005. Custody and parental rights of their two daughters were granted to Kim Mihwa. Kim later remarried Professor Yoon Seungho of Sungkyunkwan University in 2007 and started a new family.

Mr. A has consistently denied the charges since the first trial, but the court did not accept this. The first trial court stated, "Most of the important facts mentioned by the defendant on YouTube are false information based on speculation," and "Nevertheless, the defendant spoke as if the speculation were facts, damaging the victim's reputation," sentencing Mr. A guilty.

Earlier, Kim Mihwa appealed, "For many years, I endured and endured for the sake of my children, but the endless pain caused by the spread of false information must end here, so I have taken this difficult legal action," and "Please consider the pain I have endured as a woman and a mother for many years, and take into account the suffering my children and family have experienced," she pleaded.