A 30-Year-Old Posting Targeted Noise Complaint Notices Faces a 700,000 Won Fine

A man in his 30s who posted protest flyers in an apartment complex
Court: "Possibility of identifying the victim"... Defamation ruling

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A man in his 30s who posted flyers targeting neighbors dissatisfied with noise between floors on a building was sentenced to a fine.

On the 18th, according to Yonhap News, the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 3 (Judge Cha Youngwook) announced that A (33), who was charged with defamation, was sentenced to a fine of 700,000 won.

A was summarily prosecuted last May for attaching flyers to an apartment complex in Chuncheon City, which defamed neighbors. The flyer contained complaints that Mr. and Mrs. B overreacted to noise between floors and were rude to neighbors.

A’s side objected to the summary prosecution and requested a formal trial, arguing that the flyer’s content did not specify who the target of the complaint was.

However, the court’s judgment was different. Since their residence is a one-room building with only a few households, the victim could be sufficiently identified, so the court found A guilty.

The court stated the sentencing reason: "The defendant’s expressions constitute a detailed factual statement about the victims’ behavior" and "It appears to be content that could harm the victims’ social value and evaluation."

Under current law, even stating facts that are not false can result in punishment for defamation. The court noted that this crime can be punished by imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 5 million won. However, there is an exception that "if it is solely a fact concerning the public interest, it shall not be punished." Whether to punish depends on the court’s judgment regarding the public interest.

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