Chung Jin-suk’s defamation sentence reduced to fine on appeal

Chung Jin-suk, Chief of Staff to the President, who was sentenced to a prison term in the first trial for defaming the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, had his sentence reduced to a fine on appeal. On August 27, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Appeals Division 4-3 (Presiding Judge Lee Hun-jae) overturned the original six-month prison sentence and imposed a fine of 12 million won at the appellate sentencing hearing. Chung was charged with defamation of the deceased and defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act.

Chung was sued by the bereaved family of former President Roh after he posted on social networking services (SNS) in September 2017, claiming that Roh’s death was the result of a marital quarrel. He wrote, “After former President Roh’s wife, Kwon Yang-sook, and his son were investigated by prosecutors for accepting millions of dollars in bribes from Park Yeon-cha, Kwon left home following an argument, and former President Roh, who was alone that night, took his own life.” He deleted the post after it sparked controversy.

In September 2022, five years after the complaint, prosecutors filed a summary indictment against Chung, seeking a fine of 5 million won. However, the court referred the case to a full trial. Although the prosecution requested a fine of 5 million won, Judge Park Byung-gon of the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 5 sentenced Chung to six months in prison in the first trial in August last year, stating that “the nature of the crime was very poor.”

The sentence, which was significantly harsher than the prosecution’s recommendation, sparked criticism of Judge Park from the ruling and conservative parties.

“It is difficult to believe that the posts were made in the public interest, and it appears that the malicious and grossly frivolous attacks were intended to slander the victims,” the appeals court stated. However, the court noted that “Chung had made efforts to remedy the situation, such as posting an apology on social media and recently visiting the victims in person to apologize and reflect,” which contributed to the reduced sentence.

Shortly after the sentencing, Chung told reporters, “I would like to once again express my sincere regret to Ms. Kwon Yang-sook and the bereaved family of former President Roh. I genuinely hope that they remain healthy and lead a peaceful life.” Chung left the court without responding to a question about whether he planned to appeal.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.