"Endured Years of Insults and Threats"…Women's Volleyball Semifinal Hero Kim Heejin Takes Legal Action

On the 9th, at the arrival hall of Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport, Kim Hee-jin, a member of the women's volleyball national team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is waving to fans. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Kim Heejin, a female volleyball national team player who excelled at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, announced that she has been suffering from indiscriminate defamation and threats for several years and will take legal action.

Kim Jinwoo, a lawyer from the law firm Juwon representing Kim Heejin, released a statement on the 14th saying, "Based on the numerous pieces of evidence already secured, we intend to initiate strong legal action without exception, including criminal complaints against the perpetrators and filing additional lawsuits for damages."

Lawyer Kim explained, "Player Kim Heejin has been subjected to indiscriminate defamation and threats by multiple perpetrators over the past few years. Especially since the Tokyo Olympics, the harmful acts have expanded not only to the player herself but also to her family, acquaintances, and her team."

According to the statement, Kim Heejin has been continuously subjected to insults, threats, and coercion into inappropriate meetings by the perpetrators. The perpetrators also approached acquaintances around Kim Heejin through fake social media (SNS) accounts, engaged in malicious defamation, and distributed manipulated and synthesized images.

Lawyer Kim said, "Amid the national support and encouragement for the women's volleyball team following the Tokyo Olympics, Kim Heejin was concerned that issuing such a statement might cause unnecessary worry to the fans who cherish women's volleyball and to her colleagues."

However, "as her acquaintances and even her affiliated team have recently suffered severe damage, she judged that merely enduring these groundless harmful acts is no longer the best course of action," and "she decided to abandon her previously tolerant attitude and take firm and strong legal measures."

Lawyer Kim also requested, "We actively ask for reports on malicious posts and the spread of false information about Kim Heejin," emphasizing, "we will hold the perpetrators legally accountable without any leniency or settlement."

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