"Request for Leniency" Over 1000 Emails Appeal for Leniency Following Notice of Lawsuit from Late Son Jeong-min's Friend's Side

Lawyer Lee Eun-su (right) of One & Partners, the legal representative of Mr. A, a friend of Son Jeong-min, answering questions from reporters while entering the Seoul Seocho Police Station.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] "I also lost a child, so my heart aches and I stopped..."

It has been confirmed that more than 1,000 mercy request emails have been sent to Mr. A, a friend of the late Son Jeongmin (22), who announced legal action against those spreading false information related to the Han River university student death case.

On the 7th, Lee Eunsoo, a lawyer from the law firm One & Partners representing Mr. A, stated, "The spread of false information through YouTube is a significant social problem," and added, "We have submitted a complaint because it seriously damages the honor of Mr. A and his family."

Earlier, on the 4th, One & Partners released a statement on their official website, saying, "We plan to sue those who spread false information and malicious comments about Mr. A, his family, and acquaintances."

In the statement, One & Partners explained the background of the lawsuit, saying, "Despite repeated requests to stop illegal acts concerning friend A, his family, and acquaintances, the posts have increased, and some content has exceeded tolerable limits, causing increasing harm and pain to friend A and his family."

However, they added that if the accused do not wish to be sued, they should delete their posts and send an email expressing their hope for mercy.

A statement issued by Won & Partners Law Firm, the legal representative of Mr. A, a friend of the late Jeongmin Son (22). Photo by Won & Partners Law Firm official website

As a result, it was reported that numerous netizens sent mercy request emails. Among them were two YouTube channel operators.

On the 8th, Jung Byungwon, the lead lawyer of One & Partners, said, "As of around 2:15 PM, 800 mercy request emails have arrived, and more are coming in," adding, "There are also over 50 mercy requests sent through my personal email and the law firm's KakaoTalk channel." It was confirmed that these requests were sent not only to the official email but also to the lawyer's personal contacts, the law firm's blog operators, and the KakaoTalk channel.

He said, "Two YouTube operators also sent emails pleading for mercy," and added, "One of them had a short posting time for the video and showed sincere remorse, so we decided to settle without a settlement fee."

According to some emails partially disclosed by One & Partners, messages included statements such as, "I also lost a child, so my heart ached," "I wrote the post thinking A might know something, but later changed my mind," and "Jeongmin's case felt like family business, so I didn't think about how hard it would be for Mr. A."

Regarding this, One & Partners stated, "Except for those hoping for mercy, we will sue at least tens of thousands," and added, "We will handle the cases appropriately considering various circumstances and situations."

Meanwhile, Park, the operator of the YouTube channel 'Jongiui TV,' who was sued by One & Partners, announced on the channel's community on the 8th that he had filed numerous lawsuits against netizens for spreading false information about him.

On the 7th, One & Partners sued Park for violating the Information and Communications Network Act, the Telecommunications Business Act, and for defamation, citing that he identified Mr. A as the cause of Son's death and illegally disclosed Mr. A's personal information.

On the 1st, lawyer Jung also filed a complaint with the Seocho Police Station against the YouTuber 'Jikkkeum TV,' who claimed that lawyer Jung is a sibling of an SBS reporter and that the SBS program 'Unanswered Questions' aired a broadcast favorable to Mr. A's side.

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