TV Chosun has retracted an article about the late actor Lee Sun Kyun‘s suicide note following legal action by the actor’s agency. On January 4th, the broadcaster removed the controversial piece.
On December 27th at 9 PM KST, TV Chosun released portions of what it claimed was Lee Sun Kyun’s suicide note. The note allegedly included phrases like “I am sorry for the large penalty for advertising and movies” and “This seems to be the only solution.” The report even mentioned the magnitude of these penalties, claiming, “The penalties for projects and advertisements is estimated to be around 10 billion won (approx. 7.69 million USD).”
However, it has been revealed that the report about the suicide note was inaccurate. Notably, the figure of 10 billion won in penalties appears to be a speculative interpretation by the media outlet, with no clear basis for calculation, as pointed out by industry insiders.
An insider told Dispatch, “It’s premature to discuss penalties when criminal charges haven’t been confirmed. It’s not the stage for that yet.”
Hodu&U Entertainment, on January 2nd, filed a lawsuit against a reporter from TV Chosun. The agency demanded “a sincere apology along with diligent participation in the upcoming legal procedures.”
The agency expressed deep regret over “malicious and indiscriminate reporting by certain media” and requested “corrections and deletions of articles and posts published without fact-checking.”
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