"Planned and Severe"... Malicious Commenter Who Threatened Shin Se-kyung Over 450 Times Sentenced to Prison

Agency: "We Will Hold Them Legally Accountable Until the End"
"Psychological Pain Is Also Subject to Punishment"... The Significance of the Ruling

Defendant A, who had subjected actress Shin Se-kyung to prolonged malicious online harassment, was sentenced to imprisonment. As the court imposed a criminal penalty, pointing out the seriousness of organized and persistent cybercrime that goes beyond mere malicious comments, attention is being drawn to the symbolic significance of this ruling.

According to the legal community on July 5, Lee Hodong, the presiding judge of the Criminal Division 3 of the Seoul Eastern District Court, recently sentenced female defendant A, who was indicted on charges of intimidation and insult, to eight months in prison. A was brought to trial for posting approximately 450 messages threatening and insulting Shin Se-kyung on the Shin Se-kyung board and other drama boards on DC Inside between June and August of last year. The court stated, "The crime was repetitive and premeditated, and the level of threats was high, causing significant harm to society," and handed down an eight-month prison sentence. The prosecution had sought a two-year prison term for Kim on June 26.

Defendant A, who had subjected actress Shin Se-kyung to prolonged malicious online harassment, was sentenced to imprisonment. The Present Company

The Present Company, Shin Se-kyung's agency, commented on the ruling, stating, "Malicious insults and threats that were repeated over a long period caused psychological pain equivalent to physical violence, and the court clearly recognized this as a crime," adding, "The prison sentence is a judicial declaration that clearly reveals the gravity of such acts."

This ruling is considered a rare case in which a prison sentence was handed down for online violence against a public figure. In particular, as malicious online posts targeting celebrities and other public figures continue unabated, the judiciary's firm stance has drawn attention.

The Present Company stated, "This is not merely an issue concerning a single actor, but will serve as an important legal precedent that warns of the seriousness of cyber violence throughout our society," and added, "As a judicial message that clearly sets the standards for legal boundaries and responsibility between simple online opinion expression and crime, it will serve as an opportunity to shift social awareness."

Kim Jia, an attorney at Ascendant Yulbon, the law firm representing Shin Se-kyung, also commented on the ruling, describing it as "a meaningful decision that sends a social message that indiscriminate violent expressions online will no longer be tolerated."