Former agency employee acquitted of defaming H.O.T.'s Jang Woo-hyuk on appeal

An appeals court has upheld the acquittal of a former agency employee of Jang Woo-hyuk, a member of the first-generation K-pop boy band H.O.T., who was charged with defaming the singer.

The former employee, identified only by the surname Kim, was acquitted of defamation charges after the Seoul Western District Court dismissed the prosecution's appeal and upheld the lower court's verdict of not guilty on Thursday.

The employee was charged with defamation under Korea’s communications and privacy protection law after accusing Jang of verbal and physical abuse.

The court ruled that it could not conclude that the defendant had spread false facts since the employee’s claims had not been proven false.

It also acquitted the employee of defamation by spreading facts detrimental to the victim’s reputation, ruling that "there is clearly an aspect of public interest involved, considering the alleged victim's status and influence."

In Korea, one can be found guilty of defamation for comments that harm a person’s reputation, even if the remarks are true. However, exceptions are made when the comments in question are seen to serve the public interest.

The former employee wrote in a June 2022 online community post that they were verbally and physically abused by Jang. Jang denied the allegations as baseless and filed a defamation complaint.

The lower court acquitted the former employee after finding Jang's account lacked credibility.

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]