[Breaking News] 'Sharing of cohabitation photos' — she said she would reflect... 'Fine imposed': Park Soo-hong's sister-in-law ultimately files appeal to the Supreme Court

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Soo-hong's sister-in-law, Lee Mo-mo, who was brought to trial on charges of defaming Park Soo-hong and his wife by spreading false information, has taken the case to the Supreme Court.

On the 23rd, the Criminal Appeals Division 1 of Seoul Western District Court held a sentencing hearing for Lee on charges of violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (defamation), and sentenced her to a fine of 12 million won.

It was confirmed that Lee subsequently filed an appeal against the verdict on the 27th.

Lee was indicted for transmitting messages containing false information, such as claiming that Park Soo-hong cohabited with a woman during his broadcasting activities, in a KakaoTalk group chat with the intent to slander Park Soo-hong and his wife.

According to the Prosecution Service, Lee is suspected of spreading false information in a KakaoTalk group chat for the purpose of slandering Park Soo-hong. Investigation results revealed that statements such as "Park Soo-hong's words are lies" and "Park Soo-hong is currently cohabiting with a certain woman" were exchanged in the group chat, and it was also revealed that Lee, who was inside the group chat, posted these contents on online communities.

Subsequently, Seoul Western District Court's Criminal Single Judge No. 9, which served as the first-instance court, sentenced Lee to a fine of 12 million won at the sentencing hearing, finding that charges of defamation and slander were established. During the closing arguments at that time, the Prosecution Service requested a prison sentence of 10 months for Lee, stating: "She spread false information about a celebrity in a group chat, damaging their reputation. The crime is not minor. She denies the charges and shows no remorse. She has taken no measures to restore the victim's damages, and the victim also desires severe punishment."

At the first-instance closing arguments, Lee shed tears, saying: "As an ordinary housewife, I got married and lived with my children and in-laws for 20 years. However, due to a single comment, I was labeled as someone who embezzled 11.6 billion won, and criticism toward my children continued. As a result, my daughter suffered mental trauma and is undergoing psychiatric treatment and psychological counseling." She added: "Nevertheless, the case against us is still ongoing. It has been very difficult, but we are trying to endure and overcome it," repeatedly requesting leniency.

The court stated: "Even though Lee did not personally witness anything, she frequently spoke as if she often saw 'whether there was always a woman' in the group chat and had others convey this. Even if Lee asked about truthful facts, the act itself cannot be considered to have a legitimate reason." The court further noted: "Currently, Park Soo-hong's biological brother and Lee are involved in a legal dispute that has drawn public attention. It appears that Lee strongly intended to slander Park Soo-hong by creating this situation to shape public opinion in her favor. She transmitted the content slandering Park Soo-hong directly into the chat room and executed it through methods such as writing comments on internet articles to ensure wider dissemination. Given Park Soo-hong's profession, the degree of defamation is significant, and false information can spread via the internet, causing substantial harm. Yet Lee only presents her own and her family's situation with unconvincing excuses and has made no effort to seek forgiveness from the victim." The court cited these points as reasons for deeming her conduct to be of poor quality.

Lee's lawyer stated: "Although Lee was acquitted in the first trial regarding (embezzlement charges), she was already labeled as someone who embezzled over 10 billion won based on content posted by the victim on social media at the end of March 2021, much earlier. Even now, Park Soo-hong refers to the defendant as the main culprit of embezzlement in broadcasts and other media. Despite submitting evidence and the Mapo Police Station's decision not to prosecute, she has been targeted as the mastermind behind defamation by the late Kim Yong-ho and mentioned on national broadcast networks with content differing from the facts. As a result, despite court rulings and the police's non-prosecution decision, she has suffered for over three years." The lawyer continued: "Regarding the cohabitation claim, statements from the victim and fact-confirmation documents from the victim's spouse were submitted as strong evidence; however, these are either irrelevant to proving criminal facts or differ from objective facts and contradict common human experience, making their credibility significantly low. In contrast, Lee claimed she spoke to witnesses based on what she personally witnessed and what she heard from her in-laws over nearly 20 years of a close trust relationship, believing it to be true, and had substantial reasons for such belief." The lawyer insisted that Lee merely pleaded not guilty.

In the subsequent second trial, the Prosecution Service requested the court to reject the defendant's appeal and impose a prison sentence of 10 months, consistent with the original prosecution's request.

Lee's lawyer again denied the charges and argued for acquittal. The lawyer stated: "It is difficult to consider that the prosecutor's indictment has been proven beyond reasonable doubt." He added: "The defendant witnessed women's belongings multiple times at the victim's residence, providing substantial reason to believe the victim was living with a woman." He further said: "Regarding the victim publicizing family property issues through the media, the defendant sought to explain her and her family's grievance and correct the factual relationship. The primary motive was not slander but clarification. It was strongly defensive in nature."

However, during her final statement, Lee said: "Although this was an extremely personal conversation with acquaintances, I apologize for hurting Park Soo-hong and Kim Da-ye through this conversation. I feel ashamed of my unwise and rash words and actions. I have realized how foolish and shameful my behavior was. I deeply reflect and vow that such an incident will never happen again. I will become a mother whom my children do not need to be ashamed of."

At that time, the court ruled: "Although Lee claimed her KakaoTalk messages had no potential for dissemination, she specifically mentioned trial-related details to acquaintances, and these acquaintances left comments on articles regarding Park Soo-hong's embezzlement allegations, leading to an investigation. Therefore, Lee's statements are recognized as having public interest."

The court further stated: "Lee did not explicitly state that Park Soo-hong was cohabiting with a woman and claimed the remarks were not intentional; however, even without meeting or witnessing the woman in question, she told acquaintances that simply knowing they lived in the same apartment would provide 'a clue to dig deeper.' Such statements are considered allegations of false facts and cannot be legally accepted."

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*This content was translated by AI.