SK chief files civil, criminal complaints against YouTubers for spreading rumors about live-in partner
Published: 16 Sep. 2025, 13:00
![SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on May 22. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/16/91c82674-7828-4419-ba44-3f661885b660.jpg)
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on May 22. [JOONGANG ILBO]
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has filed both civil and criminal complaints against a group of YouTubers for uploading defamatory videos about him and his live-in partner Kim Hee-young, who is also chairperson of the T&C Foundation.
The Yongsan Police Precinct said Tuesday it is investigating over 10 YouTubers for allegedly violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, among other charges. The complaints were filed by Chey in October last year.
In addition to the criminal complaints, Chey also filed a damages suit with the Seoul Western District Court.
Chey claims the YouTubers spread and amplified false and malicious rumors about Kim’s past and her family.
His legal team initiated a pretrial discovery process in a U.S. court against Google, which operates YouTube, to obtain evidence. Through this, they were able to identify the creators of channels and submitted that information to Korean police along with other materials.
Chey previously filed a criminal complaint against another YouTube channel in 2021 for defamation over similar false claims about Kim. Operators of online communities and individuals who posted malicious comments were also investigated, found guilty and penalized.
Chey, who was married at the time, publicly announced a new relationship with Kim and their daughter born out of wedlock in 2015.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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