Na Kyung-won Loses Defamation Suit Against Civic Group Leader Over 'Jeong Bong-ju Bribery' Remark

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Former Future United Party (now People Power Party) lawmaker Na Kyung-won lost a damages lawsuit filed against Ahn Jin-geol, head of the People's Livelihood Economy Research Institute, who accused her of spreading false information.

On the 22nd, Judge Kang Hwa-seok of the Civil Division 29 at the Seoul Central District Court ruled against the plaintiff in the damages claim filed by former lawmaker Na against Ahn.

In December 2019, Ahn stated on an internet broadcast that "Former lawmaker Na visited Jeong Bong-ju, then a lawmaker of the Uri Party and secretary of the National Assembly Education Committee in 2005, to request that the Ministry of Education exclude the private school foundation operated by her father from the Ministry's audit." Ahn also contributed this statement to an online newspaper.

In response, former lawmaker Na claimed, "I never visited former lawmaker Jeong to make such a request," and filed a defamation suit seeking damages of 30,000,100 KRW.

However, the court ruled, "The defendant's interview and contribution stating that the plaintiff made a request to former lawmaker Jeong largely correspond to objective facts."

The court further noted, "The plaintiff unusually visited former lawmaker Jeong, who was in charge of selecting private schools for audit, to explain about the school related to her family, and from Jeong's perspective, this was perceived as a request, which was widely reported."

It also added, "The plaintiff and former lawmaker Jeong belonged to different political parties, and the plaintiff's visit to Jeong's office was quite an unusual event."

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