Writer So Jae-won, who wrote the original novels for films such as 'Beastie Boys', 'Tunnel', and 'Air Murder', announced that he is considering a massive damages lawsuit against Kim Se-ui, the operator of the YouTube channel Hover Lab.
On June 15, So shared on his social media, "The decision to forward Kim Se-ui, whom I sued, to the prosecution has been made. Every single charge has been forwarded, with not a single dismissal." He added, "More importantly, I filed the lawsuits for defamation through the statement of false facts. Every single case was recognized as a false fact, and the case was forwarded because it was determined that Kim Se-ui himself was also aware that it was false."
So continued, "Since everything Kim Se-ui said was a lie, I was confident that he would be forwarded to the prosecution, and the result perfectly matched my expectations. What makes me even more furious is that Kim Se-ui broadcasted this while knowing full well that it was false." He expressed his pain, saying, "The past 1 year and 4 months have been like hell, and I felt like I was going crazy. The reality of having to protect my children's future is what kept me going through this hellish time."
So also stated that he is considering a civil lawsuit for damages, separate from the criminal proceedings.
Mentioning that actor Kim Soo-hyun is currently pursuing a lawsuit worth tens of billions of won against Kim Se-ui, So added, "In terms of writer income, I was in the top 5%. A damages claim of around 1 billion won seems entirely feasible. I know it might be difficult to actually receive the compensation. However, I want to show the world that those who spread fake news can never make a comeback."
The conflict began in February last year when Kim Se-ui claimed on his broadcast that writer So Jae-won was an adult entertainment industry worker. At the time, So argued, "While I have undercover experience in adult entertainment establishments to write my novels, the claim that I worked in the industry is not true. The fact that I went undercover at a host bar for my writing has already been disclosed multiple times. 'I Was a Ten Percent' is simply the title of my novel, but Hover Lab distorted it and broadcasted it as if it were my actual career in the adult entertainment industry."
Meanwhile, Kim Se-ui, the representative of Hover Lab, was arrested and forwarded to the prosecution on charges including spreading false rumors that Kim Soo-hyun dated Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. He allegedly did this by using AI to fabricate the voice of the late Kim Sae-ron and faking KakaoTalk conversations presented as evidence of their relationship.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)