Broadcaster Park Su-hong [Newsis]
Broadcaster Park Su-hong [Newsis]

A Seoul court is set to issue its first ruling Friday in broadcaster Park Su-hong's roughly 9.8 billion won ($7.33 million) civil damages suit against his older brother and sister-in-law.

Civil Division 12 of the Seoul Western District Court is scheduled to deliver the first-instance ruling in the case, in which Park filed a damages claim against his older brother, identified only by the surname Park, and his sister-in-law, identified only by the surname Lee, according to Star Today.

The court had originally closed arguments on July 10 and set Sept. 11 as the sentencing date, but later pushed it back to Oct. 23 before postponing it again to Friday. No specific reason for the delays has been disclosed.

The lawsuit stems from Park Su-hong's claim that he suffered substantial financial losses from how his older brother and sister-in-law managed his funds.

Park filed an initial damages claim of 11.6 billion won in June 2021, alleging that the couple had improperly used his broadcasting fees and personal funds.

After reviewing settlement records spanning roughly 20 years, he raised the claim to 19.8 billion won, but later adjusted the figure downward during proceedings, settling on a final claim of approximately 9.8 billion won.

The older brother was indicted in October 2022 on charges of embezzling company and personal funds while running two talent agencies from 2011 to 2021 and exclusively managing Park Su-hong's career during that period.

In a separate criminal case, the convictions of both the older brother and sister-in-law have been finalized.

The Supreme Court's First Division upheld a lower court sentence of three years and six months in prison for the older brother on charges including aggravated embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, confirming the ruling on Feb. 26.

The Supreme Court also upheld the appeals court's sentence of one year in prison, suspended for two years, against the sister-in-law, who was found guilty on some charges including personal use of a corporate credit card.

The first-instance criminal court had sentenced the older brother to two years in prison and acquitted the sister-in-law. The appeals court, however, increased the brother's sentence to three years and six months and ordered his immediate detention, while also finding the sister-in-law guilty on some charges.

Although the criminal convictions have been finalized, whether the full amount claimed in the civil suit will be awarded is a separate matter.

The civil court is expected to focus on whether actual damages occurred, the extent of those damages, and the scope of each defendant's liability.

Particularly at issue is how much of the roughly 9.8 billion won Park claimed the court will recognize as compensable.

The family's legal dispute has now stretched more than five years, and with the first civil verdict approaching after the conclusion of the criminal case, attention is focused on the court's ruling Friday.


husn7@heraldcorp.com