Former K-pop Idol Wins Lawsuit Against Journalist Who Reported False Prostitution Allegations Against Him, Awarded Approximately $140,000
A court has ruled that the reporter who reported on the private life allegations of former THE BOYZ member Ju Haknyeon must pay him 200 million won (approximately $140,000) in damages.
According to legal circles on October 28, Civil Division 25 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kwon Ki Man) ruled on October 23, in a damages lawsuit filed by Ju Haknyeon against reporter Mr. Choi who reported on the allegations, that Mr. Choi must “pay 200 million won to Mr. Ju,” partially upholding the plaintiff’s claim.
In June last year, Mr. Choi published articles claiming that “Ju Haknyeon engaged in prostitution with an entertainer who was formerly a Japanese adult video (AV) actress“ and that “Ju Haknyeon, who had denied the prostitution, belatedly admitted it.”
When the private life allegations emerged, Ju Haknyeon’s agency at the time, ONEHUNDRED, announced his departure from the team and the termination of his exclusive contract. Ju Haknyeon then filed a damages lawsuit of about 1 billion won (approximately $700,000) against Mr. Choi.
The court determined that both the claim that Ju Haknyeon engaged in prostitution and the claim that he belatedly admitted it were false.
The court pointed out, “Presuming that Mr. Ju engaged in prostitution based only on what Mr. Choi said he confirmed during his reporting before writing the article is an excessive logical leap,” adding, “It is hard to say that Mr. Ju engaged in prostitution based only on what Mr. Choi said he confirmed.”
It also found that, based only on the evidence submitted by Mr. Choi, it is hard to say that there were considerable grounds to believe the reported content was true.
In particular, the court pointed out that Mr. Choi did not make sufficient efforts to verify the facts even while writing an article that could seriously damage the social standing and reputation of Ju Haknyeon, an idol singer.
Mr. Choi argued that “the reported content was true or there was reason to believe it was true,” based on a conversation with ONEHUNDRED label CEO Cha Ga Won, but the court did not accept this.
The court pointed out, “Mr. Choi simply presented the wording of the article and asked for confirmation,” adding, “He did not check whether there were circumstances or specific evidence related to prostitution, or what that content was.”
It continued, “Mr. Choi damaged Mr. Ju’s reputation by stating false facts in the article, and as a result Mr. Ju suffered considerable emotional damage,” and set the compensation for emotional distress at 200 million won.
Meanwhile, Mr. Choi was indicted without detention in May on charges of defaming Ju Haknyeon by reporting false information related to the prostitution allegations and is also standing criminal trial.
Source: (A)
