Portal Sues Lawmaker

NHN, operator of Korea's portal site, Naver, said Thursday that it has decided to file a damages suit against Rep. Jin Seong-ho of the governing Grand National Party (GNP), seeking 1 billion won or $1 million in compensation.

In a news release, Choi Hwi-young, CEO of the Internet firm that also operates game portal, Hangame, stated that Jin brought a serious breach of public trust on his company through his unsubstantiated remarks in the lead-up to the Dec. 19 presidential election last year.

``The lawsuit is an evitable process to clear up suspicions triggered by Rep. Jin about the credibility of my company among its customers,'' Choi said. ``Through the legal process, we hope to improve our public image.''

Prior to Thursday's announcement, NHN said that it sent a notification asking Jin for his clarification on his remarks in question last June.

Jin worked as a media advisor to President Lee Myung-bak during his presidential campaign and was elected as lawmaker in the general elections earlier this year.

During his private meeting with Internet industry representatives in September last year, Jin had allegedly said that he had called on portals not to spread then-presidential candidate Lee's derogatory remarks referring to ``massage girls'' online and the portals complied with his request.

Jin's remarks, however, were widely reported.