Reporter Declared Innocent Against Defaming YG Entertainment and Seungri

The reporter facing charges of libel from YG Entertainment and BIGBANG’s Seungri has been declared innocent by the prosecution.

Chief prosecutor Shim Woo Jung revealed that Reporter “K” who had been sued for defamation citing the law regarding the promotion of information and communication network use and protect of information has been declared innocent.

Last August, YG Entertainment pressed charges against reporter “K” for libel due to various articles that “K” wrote. Such articles include mentioning Yang Hyun Suk’s past drug scandal, a lawsuit from a YG employee named “A,” and Seungri’s past car accident. The various lawsuits sued for a total of around 200 million won (at current rate approximately $166,000).

Reporter “K” had written an article about YG with statements about smells of drug coming from them again and referring to the agency as a pharmacy. YG Entertainment claimed it was defamation due to the characterization of YG providing drugs to celebrities.

The prosecution explained, “Since the past drug scandals mentioned in the article is already public knowledge and A’s lawsuit was related to his work, the general content of the article is difficult to consider slander since the report aims to provide a thorough report on the investigation.”

Similarly, the prosecution declared that the report regarding Seungri’s car accident could not be proven to be libel due to statements provided by a source close to Seungri and the fact that his blood alcohol level was not measured at scene of the accident.

What are your thoughts on this ruling?

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