YouTuber Park Sun-hyeok (55), who was brought to trial on charges of spreading false information such as the “Chinese spy theory” about Kim Hee-young, chair of the T&C Foundation and the live-in partner of SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won, was sentenced to a fine at the first trial.

On the 9th, Judge Kwon Min-jung of the Seoul Eastern District Court, sitting as the single-judge Criminal Division 6, sentenced Park, who had been indicted for violating the Information and Communications Network Act (defamation), to a fine of 7 million won. Park did not appear in court that day. Prosecutors had earlier sought eight months in prison.

The judge explained the reasons for sentencing, noting that “given the nature of the medium, the potential for dissemination is considerable,” but also that they “took into account that the defendant admitted wrongdoing and confessed, and has no prior record of similar punishment.”

In January last year on his YouTube channel ‘Park Sun-hyeok WoogongisanTV’, Park said, “In fact, SK shows many pro-China and risky behaviors, and one of them is Kim Hee-young. It is all connected. There is a high possibility she is a Chinese spy.”

Park argued, “If you want to make SK hynix into something Chinese, you can name a Chinese person as the successor,” and, “Hand SK hynix over to a child born with Kim Hee-young and then have the Chinese side co-opt them.”

In response, Chairman Choi's side filed a defamation complaint against Park in February last year. Prosecutors who investigated the case indicted Park without detention this March.

At the hearing held on the 11th of last month, Park's side said, “It was mentioned as one scenario, not asserted as fact,” and that they were “apologizing and reflecting.” They added, “About two weeks after SK raised objections, we uploaded an apology broadcast and corrected all content that could cause misunderstanding,” and, “We are working to prevent a recurrence, including deleting the problematic video from the channel.”

In 2022, Park served as public relations director for the secondary battery manufacturer ‘Geumyang’ and appeared on various YouTube outlets, earning the nickname ‘Battery Uncle’.