Supreme Court: Posting 'Eoyong' Banners and 'Apjabi' Placard Protests Constitute 'Insult'

Supreme Court, Seocho-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Honam Moon munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] KT employees who were tried for defamation after posting banners expressing certain individuals as 'eoyong' (government-friendly) and 'apjabi' (lackey) have had their fines upheld by the Supreme Court.

On the 23rd, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Cheon Daeyeop) announced that it upheld the lower court's ruling imposing fines in the appeal trial of three KT employees, including Mr. A, who were charged with defamation.

Previously, they were prosecuted for posting banners 13 times along the main road in front of the company building in 2013, as members of the KT National Democratic Comrades Association led by Mr. A, containing messages such as "Immediate resignation of the government-friendly union" targeting Mr. B, the chairman of another faction's union within the company. Mr. A was also accused of insulting Mr. B by holding placards with the expression "lackey" during 20 protests.

The first and second trials imposed fines ranging from 500,000 to 1,500,000 KRW on Mr. A and others. The first trial court pointed out, "Considering the content of the phrases, the proportion of insulting expressions, the locations where they were posted and the accessibility to the general public, and the degree of social evaluation damage suffered by the victim, it is difficult to regard the defendants' actions as justifiable acts."

The second trial court also ruled, "'Eoyong' is a derogatory term referring to someone who acts without principles by colluding with those in power or power institutions for their own benefit, and 'apjabi' means a person who acts as a lackey under someone else's orders," adding, "Considering the entire phrase, it is an insulting expression that conveys abstract judgment or contemptuous feelings that could degrade the victim's social evaluation of personal value."

The Supreme Court agreed with this judgment. The court stated, "The repeated and prolonged posting of these banners and placards along roads frequently used by the public constitutes insulting expressions toward the victim," and "The lower courts did not err in their understanding of the law regarding justifiable acts."

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