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The director Lee Jung-sub, known for writing and directing the film Real, has been forwarded to the public prosecutor for alleged acts of defamation aimed at the actor Kim Soo-hyun.
According to information reported on February 6 by SBS Entertainment News, the police in Seoul's Gangnam district considered that the evidence gathered was sufficient to recognize the existence of an offence, and therefore decided to forward the case to the public prosecutor's office for legal action.
A complaint initiated by Kim Soo-hyun's fandom
The case stems from a complaint filed at the request of Kim Soo-hyun's fandom, via the Doa law firm. The plaintiffs accuse Lee Jung-sub of having relayed and amplified, via his personal social networks, remarks likening the actor to a «sexual criminal targeting minors», a serious and unproven accusation.
According to the complaint, the director had shared third-party publications explicitly evoking this type of crime, while adding comments with accusatory connotations. The affirmative nature of these comments, implying the existence of specific criminal facts, would have seriously damaged the actor's reputation.
The police's decision to refer the case to the public prosecutor's office suggests that they consider that the legal conditions for defamation may be met. The public prosecutor's office will now have to decide, after further examination, whether or not to initiate formal proceedings.
Controversial publications against a backdrop of past controversies
Prior to this handover to the public prosecutor's office, Lee Jung-sub had already attracted attention with a number of publications on social networks, in which he went behind the scenes of the production of Real as well as his casting choices. These messages also included allusions to various rumors, notably related to Kim Sae-ron, as well as insinuations concerning possible links with circles of power.
In this context, the sharing of publications directly accusing Kim Soo-hyun of a specific crime was seen as crossing a legal threshold, transforming polemical remarks into a potential criminal case.
At this stage, no indictment has been announced. The public prosecutor's office, which is now in charge of the case, will make its decision after examining the information provided by the police.
