Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun, who was accused of defaming Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, will not face prosecution after police declined to forward the case.
Seoul Seodaemun Police Station announced on the 19th that it had closed the case against Kim without referral to prosecutors, citing lack of standing to prosecute on charges including defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act.
The decision came after Prime Minister Kim submitted a letter declining to seek punishment. On the 9th of this month, the Prime Minister stated on his Facebook page, "I saw news that a civic group is filing charges against Kim Eo-jun, host of News Factory, for defaming me. I believe it was not intentional, and even if there were problems, I do not wish for him to be punished."
Earlier on the 9th, the Citizens' Action for Judicial Justice had filed charges against Kim for defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act and obstruction of business through deception. The group claimed that remarks made on the YouTube channel "Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Hard News Factory"—including "There's no cabinet meeting responding to (the Middle East situation)" and "There's no emergency meeting, which is concerning"—constituted false statements that defamed the Prime Minister. At the time, the Prime Minister's office countered that it had held daily meetings of relevant ministers since the Middle East situation first emerged.
