"Park Soo-hong defamation" Hyung-soo appeals for leniency with tears...Dec. 10 Sentencing

Photo = OSEN

The fate of Park Soo-hong, a broadcaster, and his brother-in-law, accused of spreading false information about him, will be decided next month.

At 10:30 a.m. today (6th), Park Soo-hong and his wife Kim Daye were indicted on charges of violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communication Network Utilization and Information Protection (Defamation).

On this day, the prosecution asked the court to sentence Lee to 10 months in prison. The prosecution also demanded a 10-month prison term at a trial held in September.

Originally, the sentencing hearing for Lee was scheduled to take place on the 23rd of last month, but it was delayed once as the prosecution was ordered to prepare for clarification and the resumption of the hearing was decided. An order to prepare for explanation means that the court points out matters to explain or prove or state opinions to the parties to clarify the litigation relationship and asks them to prepare them before the date of pleading.

On this day, the prosecution argued that the signatures of a number of contracts, including loans and establishment of collateral security rights, were not those of Park Soo-hong, but those of Park Jin-hong, Lee's husband and Park Soo-hong's brother.

Lee's side countered that it was not his handwriting. In addition, Lee did not offer a new position in his closing argument, saying, "As stated last time."

Park Soo-hong and his wife sued Lee for defamation in October last year. According to the prosecution, Lee is accused of sending a message containing false information that Park Soo-hong "living with a woman when she appeared on the show" in a Kakao Talk group chat room with the aim of slandering Park Soo-hong.

In the first trial, the prosecution demanded a 10-month prison term, saying, "The crime is not light because it defamed several acquaintances by making fatal false statements about celebrity victims in a group chat room that is easy to spread," adding, "We are not taking measures to recover the victim's damage, and the victim hopes for strong punishment because he does not deny and reflect on the crime."

In this regard, Lee denied the allegations altogether, saying, "I had no intention of slander the victim," adding, "The defendant believed that it was true by combining what he witnessed in person and what he heard from his parents-in-law, and there is considerable reason for believing that."

"I got married and stayed with my children and parents-in-law for 20 years, and I was branded as someone who embezzled 11.6 billion won with a single comment, followed by criticism against my children," Lee said in a closing argument in September. "My daughter is traumatized and receiving psychiatric and psychological counseling."

Apart from the case, Park Soo-hong's brother and his wife are also accused of embezzling about 4.8 billion won, including company money and personal funds, in the process of taking charge of Park's management from 2011 to 2021.

The sentencing date for Lee is Dec. 11.