▲ Former KTV Director Lee Eun-woo
Former Korea Policy Broadcasting Service (KTV) Director Lee Eun-woo, who was indicted on charges of ordering the deletion of broadcast subtitles featuring politicians' remarks pointing out the unconstitutionality and illegality of the December 3 emergency martial law, has received a suspended prison sentence in his second trial as well.
On the 30th, the 1st Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Yoon Sung-sik) sentenced Lee to one year in prison with a two-year suspension of execution during the sentencing hearing for his appeal on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights, maintaining the same sentence as the first trial.
The court determined that the lower court's ruling—stating that Lee's deletion order violated the fairness and balance of broadcasting and infringed upon the public's right to know—was justified.
The court pointed out, "Although the defendant submitted a statement during the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism audit accepting that everything was his fault, he showed an attitude of shifting responsibility in the lower court," adding, "The circumstances following the crime, including his attitude during the appeal, are difficult to work in the defendant's favor."
However, the court explained, "Considering that the extent of the infringement on the public's right to know regarding the real-time emergency martial law situation due to the defendant's deletion order was limited, it is difficult to see that the sentence of the lower court exceeded a reasonable scope."
Separately from this case, Lee is also undergoing a first-trial proceeding on charges of repeatedly propagating the legitimacy of acts of rebellion, such as the emergency martial law, through KTV special news reports and other programs between December 3 and 13, 2024.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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