Court Admits Late Kim Kwang-seok's Wife as Witness in Reporter Lee Sang-ho's Defamation Case

On the morning of November 12 last year, Lee Sang-ho, former reporter of Gobal News, is heading to the courtroom to attend a citizen trial held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The appellate court in the defamation case against former GoBal News reporter Lee Sang-ho, who was acquitted in the first trial, has summoned Seo Hae-soon, the widow of the late singer Kim Kwang-seok, as a witness.

The Seoul High Court Criminal Division 6-1 (Presiding Judge Kim Yong-ha, Jung Chong-ryeong, Cho Eun-rae) on the 10th adopted Seo as a witness at the first appellate trial of Lee, who was indicted on charges including defamation. The witness examination date was set for the 23rd of next month.

Seo was also summoned as a witness in the first trial but did not appear in court due to health reasons.

At the first appellate trial, the prosecution stated, "The first trial misjudged the falsity of the defamation," and added, "The defendant's statements violated social norms by infringing on the victim's dignity," explaining the reasons for the appeal.

They also requested Seo as a witness, saying, "The victim Seo had no opportunity to testify in court."

In response, the court said, "Seo was also summoned as a witness in the first trial but seems to have been absent due to panic disorder," and added, "We will proceed with witness examination even if briefly."

On the other hand, Lee's side argued, "This matter was already judged as not guilty by jurors in a citizen participation trial," and "A factual misjudgment in the first trial without new claims cannot be grounds for appeal."

Lee was indicted for defaming Seo by spreading false information that Seo killed Kim Kwang-seok and their infant through the film 'Kim Kwang-seok' and press conferences. He was also charged with insulting Seo by referring to her with expressions such as 'Choi Soon-sil' and 'devil.'

Following Lee's request, a citizen participation trial was held over two days on November 12-13 last year. The prosecution demanded a sentence of one year and six months imprisonment for Lee. However, after observing a 12-hour-long dispute between Lee and the prosecution, seven jurors unanimously acquitted him after three hours of deliberation.

At that time, the court stated, "Although the defendant mentioned some inaccurate facts and used somewhat rough and inappropriate expressions, it cannot be denied that the defendant's actions had a public interest purpose."

It added, "The cause of Kim Kwang-seok's death has raised many questions and is a matter of public interest to the general public. It is inappropriate to subject the defendant to criminal punishment over some expressions."

Regarding the insult charges, the court said, "It is acknowledged that the defendant referred to the victim as 'Choi Soon-sil' or 'devil,' but this seems to be the defendant's use of some inappropriate expressions while urging an investigation into the cause of Kim Kwang-seok's death, and it is difficult to conclude that such expressions alone harmed the victim's social evaluation."

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