Offender fined for spreading false information: “She was flirting with my boyfriend”

Continuous defamation, including malicious slander
Victim complains of pain, “The defendant’s claims are not true”

A fine was handed down to the offender who was brought to trial on charges of spreading false information about a woman and defaming her by suspecting her boyfriend of having an affair.

Judge Seo Jin-won, Criminal Division 6, Changwon District Court, sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation), to a fine of 500,000 won in November last year.

Previously, it was revealed that Mr. A committed this crime because he suspected that his boyfriend, who worked as a gym trainer, was having an affair with Mr. B, one of the members.

Mr. B continued to receive threatening messages from Mr. A, whom he had never met, such as, “I will tell all of this to my acquaintances,” and “I will chase and harass you for the rest of my life.”

In addition, it was confirmed that Mr. A sent content containing false information to Mr. B's acquaintances.

Mr. A’s crime did not stop there. He also threatened to spread this information to famous online cafes in the region.

Accordingly, Mr. B's side claimed that he had not committed any inappropriate actions and that he was suffering so seriously that his daily life was difficult due to threats and spread of false information targeting people around him.

The court ruled that Mr. A's actions amounted to defamation by false information. Judge Seo ruled, “There is no basis to conclude that the victim secretly met or communicated privately with the defendant’s boyfriend, as the defendant claimed. During the investigation and trial, the victim gave consistent statements, and the defendant was also vaguely aware of the possibility that his claims may not be true.”

Attorney Choi Yong-hwan of Daeryun Law Firm (Limited), who is Mr. B's legal representative, said, "If you cause damage to others by revealing false information for the purpose of slandering a person, as in this case, you will be punished under the Information and Communications Network Act. Recently, it has become a problem that not only celebrities but also ordinary people are suffering damage from such crimes." He added, "In particular, if you spread lies, you will be punished much more severely than defamation when the facts are stated, so caution is required. If false content is spread through the Internet and communication networks, the damage can be severe. “This is because it has grown to the point where it is difficult to control,” he explained.

Reporter Kim Jong-cheol (jckim99@sportsseoul.com)

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Persecutor fined for spreading false information about “she flirted with my boyfriend” (link)