A man in his 40s was recently found guilty of insult by a local court for an online post made three years ago that contained misogynistic language targeting the daughter of Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party.
According to local reports on Wednesday, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced the defendant to a fine of 500,000 won ($362).
“The content of the post harms the dignity of another person and constitutes a contemptuous expression, appearing to be a deliberate insult,” the court said in its ruling.
The post, written in May 2022, appeared to address allegations that Han’s daughter had fabricated her academic credentials and used language demeaning to women.
"Criticism toward politicians should be permitted on most levels, but we must take a cautious approach toward groundless attacks or insults against their family. This applies particularly if the allegation is not based on fact, but is a method of politically-charged attack against a certain politician," the court said, dismissing the defendant's claim that he had no intention of insulting the victim.
It went on to point out that the victim's supposedly illegal activity was not confirmed, nor were there reasonable grounds behind the allegation. Police had closed an investigation into the politician's daughter in 2024 without pressing charges.
The court concluded that the post appears to be the defendant's attack against those with opposing political views.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
