'Choi Tae-yeong (Chairman) Live-in Partner' Kim Hee-young Rumors Spread... 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 SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won's live-in partner, T&C Foundation Director Kim Hee-young, and her family, must pay Director 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 Hee-young.

YouTuber A posted false content regarding Director Kim Hee-young and her daughter on their YouTube channel twice last August. The videos reportedly contained claims about the mother and daughter's past activities and private lives, the existence of a hidden man in Director Kim Hee-young's life, and that the violin donation was a "fictional act of kindness." At the time, the channel had approximately 60,000 subscribers, and the combined views for the two videos reached 480,000.

Director Kim Hee-young's side argued, "The false statements severely damaged her reputation, privacy, and personality rights, causing significant mental anguish." The court also recognized A's liability for damages, stating, "Defamation committed via the internet spreads rapidly to an unspecified number of people," and added that it "influences other writers and creates a foundation for additional illegal acts."

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

However, considering that A deleted all videos and closed the channel, and that much of the false content was rumor circulating in past internet communities, 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 will be reviewed again in the appeal court.

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*This content was translated by AI.