Prosecutors have requested two-year prison terms for two men accused of spreading the so-called "Julie" allegations about former first lady Kim Keon-hee ahead of South Korea's 20th presidential election.
At a final hearing on the 28th before the 34th criminal division of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Han Sung-jin, prosecutors asked the court to sentence Ahn Hae-wook, former head of the Korea Elementary School Taekwondo Association, and Jung Chun-soo, former head of Open Gonggam TV, to two years in prison each on charges including violating the Public Official Election Act.
Prosecutors cited the severe suffering endured by the victims, the fact that the harm has not been repaired, and the victim's plea for stern punishment as grounds for the requested sentences. Jung's defense, by contrast, argued for acquittal, saying the content of the reports cannot be deemed false. The court set Oct. 29 as the date for its verdict.
Ahn and Jung were indicted on charges of spreading false information, including claims made during a January 2022 appearance on TBS radio program "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory," ahead of the 20th presidential election, that they had seen Kim working at a hostess bar under the stage name "Julie."
Kim appeared as a witness at the trial in May, rejecting the allegations and stating her intent to see Ahn and the others punished. "I never used even the first syllable of 'Julie' as a name for myself," she said. "They built a lie out of a person's life."
