A court in Seoul on Friday ordered Hover Lab, a right-wing YouTube channel, to pay former South Korean Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his children nearly $40,000 in compensation after finding the channel guilty of defaming the family, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The Seoul Central District Court on June 10 found Hover Lab guilty of “airing false rumors and defamatory expressions” about Cho and his two children in 2020. A conservative ex-legislator and lawyer in South Korea named Kang Yong-seok operates the Hover Lab YouTube channel, which was also ordered to shut down as part of the court’s ruling on Friday.
Over a series of episodes throughout 2020, the popular Hover Lab YouTube channel “alleged a private equity fund managed by Cho was dealing with money invested by the Communist Party of China,” Yonhap recalled.
“It also claimed Cho sponsored an actress while his children drove a luxurious imported car or had been involved in a school violence case,” according to the South Korean news agency.
Cho and his two children sued Hover Lab for defamation in recent months seeking 300 million won ($237,210 USD) in compensation. The lawsuit extended to Kang and two other individuals who helped run the YouTube channel. The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Cho on June 10, ordering the defendants to pay “10 million won [$7,815.55 USD] to Cho and a combined 40 million won [$31,262.21 USD] to Cho’s daughter and son in compensation,” according to Yonhap.
Cho was forced to resign from his post as South Korean Minister of Justice in October 2019 after facing corruption allegations. Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in appointed Cho as justice minister in September 2019. While Cho currently identifies as a political independent, he formerly belonged to South Korea’s left-wing Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which was the same political party headed by Moon Jae-in during his presidency (May 2017 to May 2022).
Moon chose Cho to lead his administration’s justice ministry in September 2019 despite “ferocious public criticism of Cho and his family over alleged ethical lapses and illegalities,” Yonhap reported at the time.
“The appointment came amid a widening probe by state prosecutors into allegations that Cho and his wife forged documents and used personal connections to help their daughter get admissions at prestigious schools. Also at issue is their suspicious investment in a private equity fund,” the Seoul-based news agency observed.
The Seoul Central District Court approved an arrest warrant for Cho’s wife, Chung Kyung-shim, in October 2019 in connection with 11 criminal charges against her, “including obstruction of business, insider trading, embezzlement, and withholding evidence,” the Korea Herald reported at the time.
The same court found Chung guilty of a 15-count charge related to forgery and illegal investment in December 2020, sentencing her to serve four years in prison and pay a fine of “500 million won ($451,000), alongside the forfeiture of 140 million won [$109,415.18 USD],” according to the Korea Herald.
“Chung … has been under [police] custody since October 2019 and has 28 months left to serve in prison,” the Korea Herald updated in January, adding, “She is set to be freed by June 2024.”
Chung’s husband, Cho Kuk, currently faces his own trial for allegedly abusing his power as South Korean Justice Minister to help his child gain admittance to universities.
“Court rulings made for trials involving Chung found that Cho Kuk was directly involved in providing some of the documents Chung forged,” according to the Korea Herald.
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