‘Defamation of Roh Moo-hyun’ Jeong Jin-seok’s Appeal Trial Reduced to Fine

Jung Jin-seok, Chief Secretary of the Presidential Office, who was prosecuted for defamation against the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, was sentenced to a fine in the appellate court.

Jung Jin-seok, Chief of Staff to the President. [Photo by Yonhap News]

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Appeals Division 4-3 (Presiding Judges Lee Hun-jae, Yang Ji-jung, Eom Cheol) on the 27th overturned the original sentence of six months imprisonment in the appeal trial of Jung, who was charged with violating the Information and Communications Network Act (defamation), and sentenced him to a fine of 12 million KRW. The court acknowledged Jung’s guilt, stating, “Considering the overall content of the crime, the defendant’s social status and career, the extent of the victims’ damage, and the social impact, the culpability is quite serious.”

However, the court added, “The defendant voluntarily deleted the post immediately after it caused social controversy, expressed regret to the victims, and posted a message with similar intent on Facebook. Recently, after consulting with the victims about their willingness and schedule, he visited them in person to apologize and reflect, making efforts to restore the damage. Taking all these into account, the original sentence was deemed excessively harsh and inappropriate.”

Nevertheless, the court stated, “The prosecution has maintained an opinion of a 5 million KRW fine from the summary order to this appeal, but considering all circumstances, this opinion is also difficult to regard as appropriate.”

In September 2017, Jung posted on his SNS, “The late President Roh’s wife, Kwon Yang-sook, and their son were investigated by the prosecution for allegedly receiving millions of dollars in bribes from Park Yeon-cha. After a marital quarrel, Mrs. Kwon left home, and that night, President Roh, left alone, took his own life,” which led to a lawsuit from the bereaved family.

The prosecution filed a summary indictment against Jung with a 5 million KRW fine in September 2022, five years after the complaint, but the court referred the case to a formal trial in November of the same year. The first trial sentenced Jung to six months imprisonment, stating, “This is a malicious or very reckless attack that exceeds the limits acceptable to society, and the nature of the crime is very bad.”

Immediately after the sentence, Jung told reporters, “I respect the court’s judgment,” and added, “I once again express my apologies to Mrs. Kwon Yang-sook and the bereaved family, and sincerely hope that the family members always live healthy and peaceful lives.”

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