Yoo Si-min Appeals Second Trial Fine in 'Han Dong-hoon Defamation' Case

Former Roh Moo-hyun Foundation director Yoo Si-min, who was sentenced to a fine in the second trial for defaming Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, has appealed and will receive a judgment from the Supreme Court.

Former Roh Moo-hyun Foundation Director Yoo Si-min, who was indicted for defaming Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, is entering the Seoul Western District Court where the appellate trial sentencing was held last month.
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According to the legal community on the 3rd, Yoo's side submitted a notice of appeal to the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Appeal Division 1 (Chief Judge Woo In-seong), which handled the appeal trial, on the 28th of last month. The prosecution is also reported to have appealed on the 27th, citing 'misinterpretation of legal principles.'

The Seoul Western District Court dismissed both the prosecution's and the defendant's appeals in the appeal trial on December 21 last year, maintaining the original ruling in the defamation case by radio against Yoo. Previously, the first trial court sentenced Yoo to a fine of 5 million won in June last year.

In December 2019, Yoo made statements on the YouTube channel 'Alileo' and on the radio, claiming that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division had illegally tracked his and the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation's accounts in late November or early December 2019. At that time, Han Dong-hoon was the head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division.

In April 2020, Yoo also mentioned the 'Channel A collusion between prosecution and media' allegations on a radio broadcast, stating that the prosecution had surveilled his accounts. In July of the same year, he appeared again on the same radio show and said, "I judge it highly likely that the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division, where Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon was, viewed it."

The first trial court ruled that Yoo did not have a 'false perception' in his April 2020 radio statement but recognized that he was aware of the falsehood in his July 2020 radio statement and sentenced him to a fine. The second trial court made the same judgment.

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