Jang Dae-ho, Serving Life Sentence for Murder, Loses Damages Suit Against Media Outlet

Jang Dae-ho, who is serving a life sentence for the Han River torso murder case, has lost his appeal in a damages lawsuit he filed against a media outlet over its reporting of his past online posts.

Jang is an inmate serving a life sentence for murdering a motel guest with a blunt object in August 2019, dismembering the body, and abandoning it in the Han River, claiming the victim had picked a fight and refused to pay for his room.

On July 7, the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Appeals Division 2-3 (Presiding Judges Ye Ji-hee, Kim Hong-jun, and Kim Yeon-ha) ruled against the plaintiff, upholding the lower court's decision in the damages suit filed by Jang against the Seoul Shinmun.

The article in question was written around August 2019, when Jang's identity was disclosed to the public.

The reporter covered the disclosure of Jang's identity and reported that his past anonymous posts on online bulletin boards had been revealed through various media outlets.

The article included details that in 2007, Jang had replied to a post on Naver Knowledge iN by a student struggling with school bullying, advising them to "fight no matter what" and to "strike the opponent's head."

It also cited a 2016 post Jang made on an internet community for the lodging industry, where he shared an anecdote about a gang member with tattoos on his arms who threatened him over room prices, writing, "If you say, 'Don't weapons penetrate if you have tattoos on your body?', the customer's attitude changes."

In December 2024, Jang filed a lawsuit claiming 1 million won in damages, arguing that the reporter had obtained his secrets through illicit means and infringed upon his personal rights.

The appellate court, like the first trial, did not accept any of Jang's claims.

The court stated, "While the fact that the plaintiff was the author of the posts could be considered a 'secret of another' under the Information and Communications Network Act as it was not generally known, there is no evidence to acknowledge that the defendant acquired this information through illicit means."

The court concluded that it could not be determined that the defendant acquired the secret through illegal means or methods, as it appeared the defendant had cited information that was investigated during the police probe into Jang and subsequently reported by other media outlets through their own coverage.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.