The sister-in-law of broadcaster Park Su-hong, who was convicted of spreading false information about him. [Newsis]
The sister-in-law of broadcaster Park Su-hong, who was convicted of spreading false information about him. [Newsis]

A woman convicted and fined in a lower court for spreading false rumors about comedian-turned-broadcaster Park Su-hong, 55, will find out Thursday whether an appeals court will overturn her sentence.

The First Criminal Appeals Division of the Seoul Western District Court, presided over by Judge Ban Jeong-u, is set to deliver its ruling at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the appeal of Lee, a woman in her 50s and Park's sister-in-law, who faces charges of defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

Lee was indicted on charges of sending messages in a KakaoTalk group chat falsely claiming that Park had lived with a woman during his broadcasting career.

Park and his wife filed a defamation complaint against Lee in October 2023. In December 2024, a lower court sentenced Lee to a fine of 12 million won ($8,100).

Both prosecutors and Lee's legal team appealed the ruling.

Throughout the proceedings, Lee's side has maintained that the messages she sent in the group chat were truthful and that she had no intent to defame Park.

Broadcaster Park Su-hong. [Yonhap]
Broadcaster Park Su-hong. [Yonhap]

At the final hearing on June 25, Lee's defense attorney argued that Lee had on multiple occasions seen a woman's belongings at Park's home and therefore had reasonable grounds to believe he was living with a woman. "Because these statements were not fabricated with knowledge of their falsity, the charge of defamation through false statements of fact cannot stand," the attorney said.

The defense also argued that Lee's remarks were a defensive response aimed at clearing her own name and that of her family after Park brought a dispute over family finances into the public eye through the media — not an attempt to defame him — and asked the court to deliver a not-guilty verdict.

In her final statement, Lee said, "Although it was an entirely private conversation among acquaintances, I apologize to Park Su-hong and Kim Da-ye for the hurt this conversation has caused."

Prosecutors, however, asked the court to dismiss Lee's appeal and impose a 10-month prison sentence — the same term they had sought at the lower court.


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