Sister-in-law Who Spread False Rumors About Park Soo-hong Living With Someone Fined 12 Million Won on Appeal

[Financial News] The sister-in-law of broadcaster Park Soo-hong, who was indicted for spreading false claims about his private life, was also fined 12 million won on appeal.
On the 23rd, Criminal Appeals Division 1 of the Seoul Western District Court, presided over by Judge Ban Jung-woo, sentenced Park's sister-in-law, identified only by her surname Lee, to a fine of 12 million won for defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act.
Lee was accused of spreading false claims in a KakaoTalk chat room with acquaintances, suggesting that Park had once lived with a woman.
Her side denied the charge, saying she never directly used the term "living together" in the messages and that it was true Park and the woman had shared the same daily environment.
However, the court found that Lee sent the messages as if she had confirmed the relationship between the two, even though she had never met or seen the woman at Park's residence. It rejected her argument that she had misunderstood the facts and misapplied the law, saying the messages were specific and could easily spread to others.
The appellate court also reconsidered the first trial after newly reflecting the finalization of Lee's separate breach of trust case. Still, it upheld the same punishment as the lower court: a fine of 12 million won.
In the first trial, Lee was also fined 12 million won after the court said she spread false information to create favorable public opinion in the legal dispute between her husband, Park's older brother, and Park.
At last month's sentencing hearing, prosecutors had sought a 10-month prison term for Lee. In her final statement, she asked for leniency, saying, "It was a private conversation with acquaintances, but I apologize for hurting Park Soo-hong and his wife."
[email protected] Choi Seung-han Reporter