By Park Chung-a
Staff Reporter
Seoul Central District Court yesterday turned down a lawsuit for compensation filed by the families of a former president and a former prime minister against KBS, a television network which produced the historical drama ``Seoul 1945” last year.
The family members of the first South Korean President Syngman Rhee and former Prime Minister Jang Taek-sang filed the lawsuit last August, claiming the drama defamed the late politicians by describing them as responsible for the assassination of a center-left leader, Yeo Un-hyong.
They also said the drama portrayed them as collaborators with Japan and the United States, hence abandoning a unified Korea, which seriously defamed the two.
The court said since the drama is based on fiction rather than historical facts, KBS is not responsible for defamation of character.
``Such a description is part of artistic expression, which should be respected in producing soap opera that is based on fiction rather than facts,’’ the court said in a statement.
The court also said since there are historical documents that support the idea that former President Rhee was pro-Japanese and pro-American, the drama did not seriously distort facts.
Meanwhile, the families’ lawsuit against the drama’s producer and writer is still pending a decision.