By Kim Se-jeong
The Seoul High Court on Friday ruled two podcast talk show hosts not guilty of defaming the late President Park Chung-hee and his son Ji-man.
In 2012, prosecutors indicted the two hosts of the then-popular podcast show Naggomsu (I am a petty trickster) ― Kim Eo-jun, an independent journalist and Joo Jin-woo, a reporter from news magazine Sisain ― on charges of defamation by “deliberately spreading wrong information about the Park family.” The lower court also ruled in favor of the two in its verdict in October 2013.
In 2012, leading up to the presidential election, Joo wrote that Ji-man, the brother of then presidential candidate Park Geun-hye, was involved in the death of his cousin Yong-cheol in his news article and talked about it during the podcast talk show. Joo also commented that it was incorrect that the former President Park met the West German President Heinrich Luebke during his official visit in 1964.
The prosecution subsequently indicted them, arguing that both were wrong in their allegations, which damaged the reputations of President Park and his son.
“The defendants had their own evidence to back up the allegations. It is hard to say they deliberately made a wrong approach,” Judge Kim Sang-hwan read the verdict. “When it comes to former President Park, Joo simply expressed his opinion. The freedom of expression is a core value and a tool to monitor the powerful in a democratic society.”
The courtroom was filled with some 100 Naggomsu fans who burst into cheers after the verdict was read.