2-year sentence for YouTuber Sojang upheld for defaming celebrities

Published: 29 Jan. 2026, 16:37

YouTuber surnamed Park who goes by Sojang on the platform leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Sept. 11, 2024. [NEWS1]

 
YouTuber Sojang was handed a suspended two-year prison sentence for uploading fake videos that defamed celebrities including Jang Won-young of girl group IVE.
 
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court’s ruling that sentenced the YouTuber, a woman surnamed Park, to two years in prison with three years of probation. Park’s charges include defamation and insult under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
 
The court also upheld an order to forfeit 210 million ($147,200) and perform 120 hours of community service.
 
Park previously appealed the initial sentence, but the appellate court upheld the original ruling in November of last year.
 
From October 2021 to June 2023, Park uploaded 23 videos to her channel defaming seven public figures, including celebrities and influencers. She was indicted on multiple charges including defamation.
 
The videos included fabricated claims including accusations that Jang of IVE had sabotaged a fellow trainee’s debut out of jealousy and that other celebrities engaged in prostitution or had plastic surgery. Prosecutors found that Park earned around 250 million won from operating the channel.
 
Park also uploaded videos mocking the appearances of two other female idol group members, leading to insult charges.
 
The music industry had called for harsh punishment against Park for running the Sojang channel. The channel has since been deleted.

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 CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]