Supreme Court of Korea rules profanity in group chats is not insult crime

The Supreme Court of Korea has ruled that using profanity in a group chat does not necessarily constitute the crime of insult. In a recent decision, the court overturned a lower court's conviction of a resident who used an expletive toward an apartment representative in a community chat room.

The court clarified the distinction between expressions that merely hurt someone's feelings and those that damage their social reputation. The justices stated that if an expression is used to convey negative or critical opinions or emotions while using profanity, it does not meet the legal requirements for insult unless it specifically infringes upon a person's external honor.