Park Soo-hong's sister-in-law, Ms. Lee, who was indicted on charges of defamation, has been sentenced to a fine.
The 9th Criminal Division of the Seoul Western District Court sentenced Ms. Lee, who was indicted for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation) against Park Soo-hong and his wife Kim Da-ye, to a fine of 12 million won on the morning of the 11th.
The court stated, "The defendant committed the crime to shape public opinion favorably amid legal disputes involving embezzlement by herself and her husband, and it appears that there was a strong intent to defame the victim. Not only did she send defamatory messages in a chat room, but she also planned and executed actions to spread them further, such as writing comments on internet articles, indicating a serious nature of the crime."
It continued, "Given the nature of the victim's profession, the degree of defamation is significant, and false information continues to spread on the internet, causing ongoing harm. The defendant has made incomprehensible excuses by citing her and her family's situation and has not sought forgiveness from the victim."
Last October, Park Soo-hong and his wife filed a defamation complaint against Ms. Lee. According to the prosecution, Ms. Lee is accused of sending a message containing false information that Park Soo-hong "cohabited with a woman during his television appearances" in a KakaoTalk group chat with the intent to defame him.
In the sentencing hearing held in September, the prosecution stated, "This case involves making fatal false statements about a celebrity victim in a chat room where information spreads easily, and the nature of the crime is not light," and sought a 10-month prison sentence for Ms. Lee.
In her final statement, sister-in-law Ms. Lee pleaded for leniency, saying, "I have been branded as someone who embezzled 11.6 billion won due to a single comment, and the criticism directed at my children has continued. As a result, my daughter is suffering from mental shock and is receiving psychiatric treatment and psychological counseling."
Park Soo-hong's older brother and his wife are also accused of embezzling tens of billions of won from company funds and personal finances while managing Park Soo-hong from 2011 to 2021. In the first trial, Park's brother was sentenced to two years in prison, while Ms. Lee was acquitted. An appeal is currently underway.
