A troll who left malicious comments about actress Han Ye-seul received a not guilty verdict in the appeals court after being fined in the first trial.
According to the legal community on the 30th, the 5-2 Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Kim Yong-jung) ruled not guilty for Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of insult. The recent ruling was finalized as the prosecution did not appeal.
Mr. A commented on an article related to Han Ye-seul in 2021, saying, "This is why punks and delinquents shouldn't exist. Act your age. What are you doing at forty?" Han Ye-seul filed a complaint against Mr. A for insult, and the prosecution issued a summary indictment with a fine of 300,000 won.
Mr. A requested a formal trial in response and denied the charges in the first trial, stating, "The expressions used in the comment are not insulting enough to damage social evaluation," and "The comment does not specifically refer to the victim (Han Ye-seul)."
However, the first trial court ruled, "Considering that the victim's name is listed next to the age of 40 in the article, the comment can be judged as referring to the victim or at least to related individuals including the victim," and found him guilty, imposing a fine of 300,000 won.
However, the appeals court stated, "It cannot be concluded that the expressions used by Mr. A are excessively malicious."
It added, "It is a reality that various rumors about famous celebrities often circulate," and "Mr. A seems to focus on contempt for the behavior of the entertainment industry rather than contempt for the individual victim."
While acknowledging that "Mr. A's comments are clearly wrong," it concluded that "they do not possess the level of illegality that warrants punishment," thus ruling not guilty.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
