Hwang Hee-seok, a former senior member of the Open Democratic Party, has been held liable for damages, in addition to having been sentenced to a fine of 5 million won in a criminal trial. This comes after he was found guilty of making false statements about Han Dong-hoon, a former leader of the People Power Party. The Seoul Central District Court has ruled in favor of Han in a damages lawsuit against Hwang and TBS, ordering them to jointly pay 10 million won.
The case revolves around statements made by Hwang during a November 2021 appearance on the TBS YouTube channel. Hwang alleged that Han had accessed account transaction details of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation in September and October 2019, and shared information with a Channel A reporter to target Yoo Si-min, aiming to influence the general election.
Han denied these allegations, asserting that he never tracked the accounts of the foundation or Yoo. He filed a police complaint and a lawsuit seeking 200 million won in damages. In the criminal trial, Hwang argued that there was no clear victim identified in his statements, he was unaware that the “account tracking allegation” was false, and he did not intend to defame Han. However, the court found him guilty, and the Supreme Court upheld the 5 million won fine in October last year.
The “prosecution-media collusion” allegations against Han were dismissed by prosecutors in April 2022, and the court found the non-indictment decision appropriate in March 2023. Lee Dong-jae, the former Channel A reporter implicated in the case, faced trial for attempted coercion but was acquitted in both the first and second instances. The prosecution did not appeal, clearing Lee of the charges. However, in a lawsuit against his dismissal, Lee ultimately lost.