A woman in her 40s, who was fined for posting malicious comments about singer and actress IU, has been fined for defamation. The woman was indicted for writing comments containing the phrase 'Did you bribe the judge?' and sexual expressions on an article related to IU's agency, EDAM Entertainment, posted on a portal site's news board last February.
According to the legal community on the 5th, Judge Lim Jeong-bin of the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 20 sentenced Ms. Kim (40), who was charged with defamation, to a fine of 3 million won.
During the trial, Ms. Kim's side argued that the comments did not contain content that would lower IU's social evaluation, and therefore did not constitute defamation. They also claimed that there was no evidence that the comments were written by her and that the victim was not specified. However, the court did not accept these arguments.
The court pointed out, 'She denies the crime, shows no remorse, has not received forgiveness from the victim, and has a record of two prior criminal punishments for similar offenses.' However, the court explained its sentencing reasons, stating, 'This crime occurred before the indictment for the defamation case for which she was fined last December, and considering that there is no criminal punishment exceeding a fine, we took these factors into account.'
Previously, Ms. Kim had also been fined 3 million won for posting malicious comments about IU in December 2023. At that time, she was indicted for posting four comments criticizing IU's clothing and singing ability on April 10, 2022. During the trial process, she requested leniency, stating, 'It's merely a simple expression of preference, and my writing ability has deteriorated due to mental illness.'
The prosecution sought a four-month prison sentence, but the first-instance court imposed a fine.