Verdict released in YG Entertainment's defamation case against a reporter who raised drug suspicions

Reporter 'K' who was sued by YG Entertainment for libel and defamation was found to be not guilty in the court of appeals. 

Reporter 'K' had written an article titled, "YG smells like drugs again...will prosecution recovery their honor" in July of last year. Upon encountering the article, YG Entertainment brought a lawsuit against the reporter, claiming a damage of 200,000,000 KRW (~$170,000 USD) because of the reporter's calling the agency a 'pharmacy / drug store' gave an impression that YG Entertainment was providing drugs to its artists. 

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In the first verdict, the court found the reported guilty and fined him 10,000,000 KRW (~$8,500 USD). However, in the court of appeals, the court sided with the reporter. The court stated, "It is unreasonable to say that the reporter was accusing [YG] of providing drugs by using the word 'pharmacy.'" 
 

The court added, "The article criticizes YG Entertainment for lacking in transparency while their artists were involved in drug investigations... Also, it criticizes the prosecution office for not being strict with celebrities," emphasizing that the article's goal was in the public's best interest.

Additionally, regarding the reporter's other article about G-Dragon's drug case, the court commented, "It seems like the article was expressing an opinion that entertainers have a higher chance of being involved in drug cases, and therefore the prosecution office should conduct a more thorough investigation," and shut down YG Entertainment's arguments of defamation against G-Dragon.