Dozens of Acts of Personal Insult Over Several Months
"Not Easy for a Young Victim to Endure"
A suspended prison sentence has been handed down to a man in his 50s who posted malicious comments targeting trot singer Kim Dahyun (16) over several months.
According to her agency, Entro Entertainment, on April 16, the Daegu District Court’s 6th Criminal Division (presided over by Senior Judge Yoo Sunghyun) sentenced Mr. A (58), who was tried on charges of insult, to four months in prison, suspended for two years.
Mr. A was indicted on charges of posting a total of 73 insulting messages about Kim Dahyun on a broadcaster's online viewer bulletin board over a four-month period starting in July 2023. It was also reported that Mr. A posted a total of 67 insulting messages about Kim Dahyun’s father, Kim Bonggon, who is a traditional scholar.
The court stated, "Given that the victims, especially the young victim Kim Dahyun, likely suffered a level of psychological distress that would be difficult to endure due to the defendant's posts, the degree of blame is significant," explaining the reasoning behind the sentencing.
Kim Kyungeun, the lead attorney at Inui Law Firm, who has represented Kim Dahyun, commented, "The personality rights of public figures must also be respected. The impact of baseless and malicious posts targeting young celebrities and their families is especially severe. Freedom of expression must not infringe upon another’s honor, and we hope this ruling will serve as an opportunity for posts that harm specific celebrities to disappear."
Meanwhile, Kim Dahyun was born in 2009 and debuted in 2020 with the Cheonghakdong Gugak Sisters’ single album "Gyeongsa Natne." She later gained attention as the runner-up on MBN’s "Voice Trot" and as a finalist on TV Chosun’s "Tomorrow’s Miss Trot 2." She is also well known as the youngest daughter of Kim Bonggon, the "Cheonghakdong Scholar."
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