"Kim Se-se, up to 10 years in prison possible," lawyer predicts... "Multiple charges, extremely poor nature of offenses" [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

A prediction has emerged that YouTuber Kim Se-se could face a sentence of around 10 years in prison for charges including defamation of actor Kim Soo-hyun.

Lawyer Lee Seung-jae of Law Firm Lee & Partners revealed the legal outlook for Kim Se-se, who was issued an arrest warrant, via YouTuber Lee Jin-ho's channel on the 26th.

The lawyer stated, "Issuing an arrest warrant in advance for defamation is a very rare case in the legal community," adding, "Defamation cases using information and communication networks have been increasing recently, and especially as the social influence and impact of cyber leakers have grown, law enforcement authorities and courts have adopted a stricter stance."

According to the lawyer, while past punishments for defamation often included suspended sentences, the severity of penalties has increased as social problems have escalated.

Conditions for issuing an arrest warrant include substantiation of criminal suspicions, risk of flight (concerns of evidence destruction), and proportionality of detention. The lawyer noted, "An arrest warrant is issued when one thinks, 'If I were the judge, I would sentence them to actual imprisonment.' Therefore, once a person is detained, it is difficult to receive a suspended sentence unless there are special circumstances."

Kim Se-se faces charges including defamation, as well as distribution of recordings using cameras, attempted coercion, and threats under the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. For a concurrent offender facing multiple charges, the penalty can be increased by up to half of the heaviest statutory sentence.

The lawyer said, "(Kim Se-se) has an extremely poor nature of offense for defamation, and if it is combined with violations of the Sexual Crimes Act, the statutory penalty could reach up to 10 years and 6 months in prison. In actual sentencing, a prison term of 1 to 2 years is strongly expected."

Judge Buh Dong-sik, head of the arrest warrant division at Seoul Central District Court, opened a substantive review of the arrest warrant (pre-trial investigation of the suspect) for Kim Se-se, who was indicted on the 26th on charges including violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (recording and distribution using cameras, etc.), defamation under the Information and Communication Network Act, threats, and attempted coercion. The judge issued the arrest warrant, stating, "There is a risk of evidence destruction and flight."

Kim Se-se is accused of spreading recordings and other materials claiming that Kim Soo-hyun dated the late actress Ko Kim Sa-ron while she was a minor, and that Kim Soo-hyun's side pressured debt repayment, which was the direct cause of Ko Kim Sa-ron's death. Additionally, Kim Se-se faces charges of fabricating false facts by manipulating the late Ko Kim Sa-ron's voice using AI to damage Kim Soo-hyun's reputation. Law enforcement authorities believe that the KakaoTalk conversation contents presented by Kim Se-se during a press conference around March last year, claiming a relationship between Kim Soo-hyun and the late Ko Kim Sa-ron, were also fabricated.

On the 27th, Kim Soo-hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, released an official statement: "Regarding the various complaints and reports filed by Kim Soo-hyun and our agency against Kim Se-se of the research institute Garo-seoro, investigation results confirmed that the various suspicions and evidence raised by the Garo-seoro side against Kim Soo-hyun are not true."

The agency added, "In particular, it was revealed that the late person's KakaoTalk conversations released through the press conference were fabricated and altered conversations with third parties unrelated to Kim Soo-hyun, and the late person's voice was also confirmed to be fabricated data generated using AI technology."

The agency further stated, "Charges including violation of the Act on the Promotion of Information and Communication Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation by dissemination of false facts), violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes, violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (distribution of recordings using cameras, etc., and coercion to use recordings), and threats were recognized as serious, leading the court to issue an arrest warrant for Kim Se-se."

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*This content was translated by AI.