The sake company Yecheon Brewery, which was indicted on charges of defaming and threatening singer Young-tak, has also been found guilty by the Supreme Court.
On Dec. 12, the Supreme Court's first division (Chief Justice Shin Suk-hee) upheld the original sentence, sentencing Yecheon Brewery CEO Baek to 4 months in prison, a 1-year probation, and 120 hours of community service for violating the Information and Communications Network Act (defamation).
Yecheon Brewery signed a model contract with Young-tak in 2020 and launched 'Young-tak Makgeolli.' However, after the contract ended in June 2021, the negotiations broke down over the transfer of trademark rights and revenue distribution, leading Baek and Jo to spread allegations in the media that "Young-tak's side demanded 15 billion won for 3 years."
In particular, Jo contacted Young-tak's mother directly and was investigated for threatening statements such as, "I will interfere with Young-tak's activities in the entertainment industry."
The first trial court stated, "The two cleverly mixed false facts with actual events, creating the impression that Young-tak's side made unreasonable demands," and sentenced the two to 6 months in prison, 1 year of probation, and 120 hours of community service.
In the second trial, some statements were judged to be factual defamation, resulting in a reduced sentence. The court noted, "The amounts of 5 billion and 15 billion won were calculated based on Young-tak's internal memos," and stated, "It is difficult to see that the defendants recognized it as false." Consequently, the sentence was reduced to 4 months in prison and 1 year of probation. However, the guilty verdict for Jo's threat charge was maintained as in the first trial.
The two continued to appeal to the end, but the Supreme Court dismissed it, stating there were no issues with the original ruling and finalized the sentence.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]