"I'll get you cleared of sexual harassment charges," broadcast writer who deceived Lee Min-woo ordered to pay 2.4 billion won in damages [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Shinhwa member Lee Min-woo partially won a civil lawsuit for damages against broadcaster A, who deceived him and embezzled a large sum of money.

According to Herald Economy on the 19th, Seoul Central District Court's Civil Division 15 (Presiding Judge Park Jeong-gi) ruled in favor of the plaintiff in part in Lee Min-woo's lawsuit against A for damages.

The court ordered A to pay Lee Min-woo 2.45559 billion won. This amount matches the fraud loss finally recognized in the prior criminal trial.

A approached Lee Min-woo in 2019, exploiting the incident when Lee was under police investigation for allegedly sexually harassing two women at a pub in Gangnam, Seoul. A claimed to have connections within the Prosecution Service and promised to secure a non-prosecution decision for him, then demanded money from Lee, stating it was needed to pass along to high-ranking officials at the Prosecution Service.

However, investigations revealed that A had no actual relationship with any high-ranking official at the Prosecution Service. Even after Lee received a non-prosecution decision due to insufficient evidence without A's help, A continued to demand additional funds, claiming prosecutors who had accepted money were in trouble and attempting to overturn the decision. It was determined that A embezzled up to 740 million won from loans secured using Lee Min-woo's home as collateral during this process.

A was tried on fraud charges and found guilty in both first and second instances. While the initial sentences at both levels were nine years of imprisonment, the Supreme Court ultimately confirmed a seven-year prison term. In July last year, the Supreme Court finalized the ruling and also ordered the recovery of 2.45559 billion won obtained through criminal activity.

After the criminal trial concluded, Lee Min-woo filed a separate civil lawsuit against A. A's side argued that since the fraud amount had already been recovered through criminal proceedings, recognizing additional civil damages would result in double compensation.

However, the court rejected this argument. The judge stated, "The recovery of illicit gains is a criminal sanction aimed at depriving assets obtained through crime and differs fundamentally in purpose and nature from civil damages owed to victims." The court further noted that the plaintiff's claim being granted does not imply double compensation.

Nevertheless, this first-instance civil ruling has not yet become final. Both Lee Min-woo's side and A's side have appealed the decision, and a second trial is currently underway at Seoul High Court.

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*This content was translated by AI.