'Choi Tae-yeong (Chairman) Live-in Partner' Kim Hee-young Rumors Spread by YouTuber, Ordered to Pay 20 Million Won in Damages

*This content was translated by AI.

A court ruled that a YouTuber who spread false information about Kim Hee-young, a director of the T&C Foundation and alleged live-in partner of SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won, and her family must pay Kim Hee-young 20 million won in damages.

According to NEWS1 on the 12th, Judge Lee Jeong-hoon of the Seoul Western District Court's Civil Division 6 issued a partial victory for the plaintiff on the 21st of last month in a lawsuit filed by Director Kim Hee-young against YouTuber A. The court ruled that A must pay 20 million won out of the approximately 30 million won claimed by Director Kim.

Previously, in August last year, A posted false content regarding Director Kim Hee-young and her daughter on a YouTube channel on two separate occasions. In response, Director Kim's side argued that "the false accusations severely damaged her reputation, privacy, and personality rights, causing significant mental distress." The court also recognized A's liability for damages, stating that "defamation committed via the internet spreads rapidly to an unspecified number of people" and "serves as a basis for influencing other writers to commit additional illegal acts."

The court further noted that "even if A is held liable for civil damages, it is unlikely that the perception held by ordinary internet users or YouTube viewers regarding Director Kim will change."

However, considering that A deleted all videos and closed the channel, and that much of the false content consisted of rumors that had circulated on internet communities in the past, the court set the damages at 20 million won.

Meanwhile, A's side filed an appeal on the 7th, contesting the first-instance ruling, and the case is expected to be reviewed again in the appeal court.

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*This content was translated by AI.