Kang Mi-jeong, former spokesperson of the Rebuilding Korea Party, was convicted and fined in a first-instance ruling for defaming her husband during their ongoing divorce proceedings.
Judge Lee Jong-woo of the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 22 sentenced Kang on Thursday to a fine of 2 million won ($1,360) on charges of defamation, Yonhap reported.
Kang was summarily indicted on charges of defaming her husband, identified only by his surname Cho, after she appeared on radio programs and other broadcasts on 10 separate occasions beginning in November 2023, making statements suggesting Cho had used illegal drugs while the two were in the midst of divorce proceedings.
Kang had initially received a summary order imposing the same 2 million won fine, which she contested in January by requesting a formal trial.
The court rejected her argument, ruling that her statements could not be considered a justified act or legitimate self-defense. "The defendant argues that her remarks on the broadcasts were related to matters of public concern and therefore constitute a justified act, but it is difficult to view them as either a justified act or legitimate self-defense," the court said, handing down the same penalty as the summary order.
Kang appealed the ruling Monday.
Kang had previously raised a series of allegations against Lee Jeong-seop, a prosecutor at the Daejeon High Prosecutors Office who is Cho's brother-in-law, claiming Lee had helped cover up the drug investigation into Cho and accusing him of other misconduct, including fraudulent address registration of a child and accepting resort entertainment.
Prosecutors indicted Lee without detention in March last year on charges including violations of the Anti-Graft Act, and his first-instance trial is ongoing.
husn7@heraldcorp.com
