Former Defense Ministry Spokesperson Bu Seung-chan's Book on 'Cheonggong Allegations' Sales Ban Injunction Dismissed

Seoul Western District Court: "No Legal Grounds to Prohibit Publication"
Injunction Request to Ban Publishing and Sales Dismissed

The government requested the court to ban the sale of a book by former Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Bu Seung-chan, which contains allegations that the fortune teller Cheongong was involved in the presidential residence selection process, but the request was denied.

The Civil Division 21 of the Seoul Western District Court (Chief Judge Im Jeong-yeop) dismissed the government's provisional injunction request filed against Jo Mo, CEO of H Publishing, who published "Power and Security - The Defense Secrets of the Moon Jae-in Government and the Cheongong Allegations," on the 22nd.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, the government argued that some parts of the book constitute military secrets under the Military Secrets Protection Act, and that publishing and distributing it would threaten national security, damage the trust between South Korea and the United States, and harm national interests, thus filing the provisional injunction request to ban publication and sales in March.

The court ruled that even if the book's publication constitutes disclosure of military secrets, there is no legal basis to prohibit the publication itself as a preemptive remedy instead of claiming damages.

Unlike intellectual property and copyright laws, which provide for injunctions and preventive measures against rights infringement, the Military Secrets Protection Act does not stipulate any prohibitive or preventive measures other than criminal penalties.

Accordingly, the court dismissed the provisional injunction request without determining whether the book's content qualifies as military secrets.

In the book, former spokesperson Bu wrote that in April last year, during the presidential residence selection process, he heard from Nam Young-shin, then Chief of Staff of the Army, that the fortune teller Cheongong and senior officials of the Presidential Transition Committee visited the Army Chief of Staff's residence and the Army Seoul Office within the Ministry of National Defense.

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