YouTuber who spread false information about SK Group chairman given suspended sentence
Published: 15 Jan. 2026, 18:03
![Chey Tae-won, the chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and SK Group, speaks at the 2026 New Year’s gathering of business leaders at the KCCI building in central Seoul on Jan. 2. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/15/06e42716-c5d9-41be-b7df-5cc7b994c718.jpg)
Chey Tae-won, the chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and SK Group, speaks at the 2026 New Year’s gathering of business leaders at the KCCI building in central Seoul on Jan. 2. [NEWS1]
A Seoul court on Thursday handed a suspended sentence to a YouTuber who spread false information about SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and his live-in partner, Kim Hee-young.
The Seoul Northern District Court sentenced the YouTuber, surnamed Park, to one year in prison with a three-year suspended sentence after finding them guilty of defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
Prosecutors said Park published around 10 posts between June and October 2024 on their YouTube channel and blog, accusing Chey of giving Kim 100 billion won ($68 million) and writing other allegations involving his family. They had indicted Park without detention in July 2025.
![Kim Hee-young, the live-in partner of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/15/dedf8893-d74c-4898-9329-2b8935b8b338.jpg)
Kim Hee-young, the live-in partner of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won [JOONGANG ILBO]
The court determined that the evidence submitted by prosecutors clearly indicated defamation against Kim but suspended the sentence in consideration of how the defendant responded after the offense and the fact that they had no prior convictions.
The court also acquitted Park of the defamation charge related to the “100 billion won gift” claim involving Chey, saying it was exaggerated but too vague to qualify as criminal defamation.
Park is reportedly known to be a longtime acquaintance of Roh Soh-yeong, the director of Art Center Nabi and Chey’s ex-wife.
Park has publicly identified as a supporter of Roh, once calling themself the “head of her fan club,” and is reported to have been involved in the same academic associations as her.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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