'Stairway to Heaven' Actor Shin Hyun Joon Not Guilty in Defamation Lawsuit

The court ruled South Korean actor Shin Hyun Joon not guilty and was not charged with the defamation lawsuit that his former manager filed against him.

In case you don't know, "defamation" is a verbal or written conversation of a false statement about another that unfairly harms their reputation and usually constitutes an offense or crime. In other countries, including South Korea, a true statement can also be considered defamation.

Back in July, Shin Hyun Joon's former manager, Kim Gwang Seob, claimed in his interviews that he experienced maltreatment from Shin Hyun Joon during their time working together. Upon hearing this news, the actor immediately denied the accusations and declared potential legal action against his former manager.

Then, Kim Gwang Seob filed a request to the police to reinvestigate the alleged Propofol drug that Shin Hyun Joon took illegally in 2010. As a response to this, Shin Hyun Joon explained that he had already been investigated about the Propofol given by the hospital as his medication during treatment for his injured back.

However, In August, the police dismissed the request for reinvestigation because the said incident occurred before Propofol was approved a drug and also because the statute of limitations had already expired.

Following this, both parties, Kim Gwang Seob, and Shin Hyun Joon, filed a lawsuit against each other for defamation. And on Nov. 9, the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office released their resolution of "no charge" against Shin Hyun Joon in the defamation lawsuit that his ex-manager had filed against him.

Shin Hyun Joon issued a statement through his lawyer, the statements read:

"Greetings, this is actor Shin Hyun Joon. While we are in a time of crisis due to the coronavirus, I deeply apologize for causing concern with these personal events.

I thought it was right to inform you all that on Nov. 9, the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office has ruled that no charges will be pressed in the defamation lawsuit that my former manager (Kim Gwang Seob) filed against me because the verdict is "not guilty."

As you already know, on July 27, the Gangnam Police Station rejected Kim Gwang Seob's request to reinvestigate the allegations of Propofol use due to an inability to prove any illegal activity in the alleged incident against me.

Through these investigations conducted, it proved that Kim's allegations about Propofol and mistreatment were all false. Currently, the defamation lawsuit that I filed against Kim is still undergoing investigation. We will do our best to make sure that he takes legal responsibility for his false claims.

We know that there has been much concern that I am refraining from broadcasts and public activities due to this incident; however, I am taking this time to do a serious self-reflection.

I will work hard so that I can come back with a more mature and upright image. I will always remember the people who trusted me and supported me. Thank you."

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Written By: Sam Yap