"Media Outlets Report False Information" Cho Kuk's First Trial for 3 Defamation Lawsuits

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The first trials of the damages lawsuits filed by former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk against reporters from media outlets who reported false information about him and his family were held simultaneously on the 2nd.

The Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 14 (Presiding Judge Kim Jong-min) consecutively held the first trials of three damages lawsuits filed by former Minister Cho Kuk's family against reporters from Segye Ilbo, TV Chosun, Chosun Ilbo, and Channel A. The total amount claimed by Cho's side is 700 million KRW.

Earlier, in September 2019, Segye Ilbo reported that Jung Kyung-shim, Cho's spouse and a professor at Dongyang University, had instructed private equity fund operators to flee overseas.

Last year, Cho and his wife filed a lawsuit stating, "This is completely untrue."

In their defense, Segye Ilbo argued, "Considering the first trial ruling on Professor Jung and the fact that the actual parties left the country and then returned to undergo investigation, it is reasonable to view this article as truthful."

Cho's side claimed, "The article is false as revealed through the court testimonies of related parties," while Segye Ilbo countered, "Their testimonies are only in the context of defense rights and cannot by themselves determine the truthfulness of the article," leading to a tense exchange.

Cho's side stated, "It appears that the article was based on an interview with only one whistleblower," and announced their intention to call the whistleblower as a witness.

The parties from Chosun Ilbo, Channel A, and TV Chosun, whose trials followed, all denied liability for damages.

Chosun Ilbo published an article in August last year stating that Cho's daughter had applied for an internship in the dermatology department at Seoul Sinchon Severance Hospital, but later deleted the article from the first edition and published a correction the next day acknowledging the report was erroneous.

Cho filed a criminal complaint against the reporter who wrote the article and their superior, and also filed a civil lawsuit.

Reporters from Channel A and TV Chosun were also sued for reporting that Cho Kuk, while serving as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs in 2018, visited Ulsan before the local elections to ask for support for Song Cheol-ho, then candidate for Ulsan mayor. They argued that there were substantial grounds to believe the article was true.

However, Cho's side denied that he had visited Ulsan at that time.

The court ordered the Presidential Secretariat to submit a fact inquiry regarding the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs' visit to Ulsan, as well as materials such as CCTV footage and vehicle entry records that could determine whether the visit took place. The next hearing is scheduled for the 21st of next month.

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