Comedian slapped with fine for defaming lawmaker

A comedian was slapped with a 500,000 won fine by a court for defamatory remarks about a ruling party lawmaker.

No Jeong-ryeol, 39, was indicted on charges of defaming Rep. Cho Jun-hyuk of the Grand National Party after he insinuated the lawmaker was an animal at a May rally organized by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union.

He made the remarks after Cho was fined in April for defying a court order by disclosing the names and personal information of members of the teachers’ union on his Web site.

After Cho filed a defamation suit against the union, No said that a libel suit is only for human beings not animals.“Cho can be subject to public criticism as he is a public figure. But alluding to Cho as a dog or a cow goes beyond what he can accept as a public figure. Therefore, it should be regarded as damaging to his reputation,” a Seoul district court said in the ruling.

No said he will appeal the case, as satire and comedy are not subject to criminal punishment.