Supreme Court Confirms Not Guilty Verdict for Singer Jo Young-nam in 'Painting Forgery Fraud' Case

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Singer Jo Young-nam (75), who was indicted for selling paintings completed with the help of an assistant as if he had painted them himself, was acquitted.

The Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice Kwon Soon-il) on the 25th upheld the lower court's ruling that acquitted Jo, who was charged with fraud.

The court stated, "In the transaction of the artwork in question, whether the piece was an original work by the artist or produced with the assistance of an aide is not necessarily essential or important information for the buyers," and added, "The lower court's judgment that it is difficult to conclude that the victims purchased the artwork under the mistaken belief that it was an original work by Jo Young-nam is acceptable."

Jo was indicted for receiving paintings from a painter named Song, whom he had known for some time, between September 2011 and January 2015, making only light overpainting, and then selling them to 17 people as if they were his own works. Song filed a fraud complaint against Jo.

It was investigated that Jo sold 21 such paintings in this manner and earned approximately 153 million won in sales revenue.

The first trial recognized Jo's charges and sentenced him to 10 months in prison with a 2-year probation.

However, the second trial overturned this verdict and acquitted him. The court judged, "Jo's works featuring Hwatu (Korean playing cards) originated from his unique ideas, and the assistant painter's role was merely 'technical assistance,' a common practice in the art world."

Reflecting the social interest in this case, the Supreme Court held a public hearing on the 28th of last month, listening to opinions from art community representatives who spoke on behalf of the prosecution and Jo's side.

During the public hearing, the prosecution emphasized that Jo contributed very little to the creation of the works and deceived the buyers.

In response, Jo's side argued that completing paintings with the help of assistants is already a common practice in the art world and therefore is not something that must be actively disclosed when trading artworks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.