Kim Dae-jung Sues Tabloid for Defamation
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
The office of former President Kim Dae-jung filed a lawsuit against Ilyo Seoul, a tabloid newspaper, for alleged defamation, Tuesday.
The weekly ran stories claiming that the former President and his staff were involved in illicit activities, based on observations made by former spy agency employee Kim Ki-sam.
In the articles, the former spy agent claimed the former President's staff had lobbied to help Kim win the Nobel Peace Prize and created slush funds during Kim's presidential tenure from 1998 to 2003.
The former President's office said the newspaper misused press freedom and ran stories that were not true, constituting elements of defamation.
The office claimed that Kim's reputation was seriously harmed as a result of the stories.
Former Unification Minister Lim Dong-won also filed a separate lawsuit against the newspaper. The former spy agent depicted Lim as a spy in the articles.