Lee Young-ae Loses Defamation Lawsuit Against YouTuber Claiming Friendship with Kim Geon-hee

"I Yeong-ae, Frequent Attendee of Kobana Contents Events"
Jeong Cheon-su Files Damages Suit Against Former Open Sympathy TV CEO
Court "Plaintiff's Claim Dismissed, Plaintiff Bears Litigation Costs"

Actress Lee Young-ae filed a civil lawsuit against a YouTuber who reported that she has a close relationship with First Lady Kim Geon-hee, but it was revealed that she lost the case.

On the 20th, the 12th Civil Division of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Jin-young) ruled against Lee Young-ae in a damages claim lawsuit she filed against Jeong Cheon-su, former CEO of Open Sympathy TV. The court stated, "The plaintiff's claim is dismissed, and the plaintiff shall bear the litigation costs."

Actor Lee Young-ae. Lee Young-ae Instagram

Earlier, in September last year, Lee Young-ae delivered a letter to the Syngman Rhee Memorial Foundation stating, "President Syngman Rhee was excessive, but he laid the foundation for today's free Republic of Korea," and donated 50 million won. In the same month, Open Sympathy TV reported through its YouTube channel that "First Lady Kim recruited Kim Beom-su, a former SBS announcer, as an executive director at her company Kobana Contents," and "Announcer Kim is known to be a sworn brother of Jeong Ho-young, chairman of Korea Raycom (Lee Young-ae's husband)." The report continued, "In 2012, only a very small number of acquaintances were invited to Chairman Jeong's twins' first birthday party, and Announcer Kim attended the event accompanied by First Lady Kim. This is how Chairman Jeong and Lee Young-ae's couple built a friendship with First Lady Kim," adding, "Lee Young-ae frequently attended Kobana Contents events and voluntarily promoted them on her social networking services (SNS)."

In response, Lee Young-ae's agency Group Eight stated, "Former CEO Jeong defamed Lee Young-ae and spread fake news through his YouTube channel," and filed both a criminal complaint and a civil lawsuit. At the time, Lee Young-ae's side said, "If the fake news had been acknowledged and an apology made, we would not have filed a complaint," adding, "We waited for over a month for an apology and cessation of the broadcast. If the report was incorrect, honestly admitting it and apologizing is the attitude of a true journalist." However, Jeong's side rebutted, "The content is not false. It is for the public interest and therefore not illegal."

Subsequently, on October 29, the court issued a recommendation for reconciliation to the parties. A recommendation for reconciliation is when the court, on its own authority, suggests a settlement for a fair resolution of an ongoing case, and if both parties agree, it has the same effect as a final court judgment. The court proposed, as conditions for reconciliation, that defendant former CEO Jeong ▲delete the problematic video ▲prohibit future broadcasts related to the friendship between Lee Young-ae and First Lady Kim Geon-hee ▲reflect the parties' positions when broadcasting about Lee Young-ae's political orientation, and that plaintiff Lee Young-ae withdraw the criminal complaint. However, Lee Young-ae's side submitted an objection to the court last month, stating they could not accept the court's recommendation. Ultimately, as reconciliation between the two sides failed, the court issued a formal judgment on that day.