Kim Hee-young wins second defamation lawsuit against YouTuber

Kim Hee-young, director of the T&C Foundation and partner of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, has won another civil lawsuit against a YouTuber for spreading false information. The Seoul Western District Court ordered the defendant to pay 10 million won in damages.

The YouTuber had posted videos in June 2024 containing false claims regarding Kim's educational background, charitable activities, and private family matters involving her mother. While the defendant argued the content was intended to address matters of public interest without malicious intent, the court rejected this defense.

The court noted that the defendant failed to provide evidence to support the claims or conduct any investigation to verify the facts. Instead, the videos used definitive expressions rather than mere speculation or suspicion. This follows a previous ruling in April where another YouTuber was ordered to pay 20 million won for similar defamatory content.