Park Soo-hong's sister-in-law, who was indicted for spreading false information regarding Park Soo-hong's personal life, has also been fined on appeal.
Criminal Appeals Division 1 of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Ban Jung-woo) dismissed the appeal filed by the defendant, surnamed Lee, who was indicted for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (Defamation), and upheld the original ruling of a 12 million won fine.
Lee was sent to trial on charges of defaming Park Soo-hong by sending messages containing false information, such as claims that Park Soo-hong lived with a woman during his broadcasting career, through a KakaoTalk group chat.
Previously, the first-instance court sentenced her to a 12 million won fine, stating, "She committed the crime with the purpose of creating favorable public opinion for the legal dispute between herself and her husband and defaming the victim." In response, Lee appealed, claiming errors of fact and law, but her appeal was not accepted.
During the final appeal hearing held on May 25, the prosecution requested the court to "dismiss the defendant's appeal and sentence her to 10 months in prison, the same as the sentence originally sought by prosecutors."
In her final statement at the time, Lee belatedly expressed her apology to Park Soo-hong and his wife Kim Da-ye. Lee pleaded for leniency, stating, "Although it was a strictly private conversation with acquaintances, I apologize for causing hurt to Park Soo-hong and Kim Da-ye through it. At the time, I thought my actions were right, but looking back now, I realize how reckless and foolish I was. I am deeply reflecting on this and will make sure such a thing never happens again. I will become a mother who is not embarrassing to my children."
Lee's side argued that she had sufficient reason to believe the victim was living with a woman because she had spotted a woman's belongings at Park Soo-hong's home multiple times, and that she did not fabricate the statements knowing they were false. They also argued that the remarks were merely made to respond after the family property dispute became public and were not intended for defamation.
Meanwhile, Park Soo-hong's older brother, surnamed Park, was indicted on charges of embezzling funds from an entertainment agency corporation and Park Soo-hong's appearance fees, and recently had a prison sentence of 3 years and 6 months finalized by the Supreme Court.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
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