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Reporter acquitted of spreading false info through murder report

A Seoul court on Thursday acquitted a well-known reporter on charges of falsely claiming that the younger brother of President Park Geun-hye was behind a murder case.

Joo Jin-woo, a reporter of the monthly news magazine Sisa IN, was cleared of charges that he spread false and defamatory information in his article that the president's younger brother, Park Ji-man, was involved in the killing of a relative.

In the same ruling, the Seoul Central District Court also delivered a not-guilty verdict for commentator Kim Eeo-joon for spreading the same false information on his popular online show.

The court adopted a jury trial system with nine jury members.

The country introduced the jury system in 2008 on a limited basis. The system is adopted when a defendant asks the court to have civilians hear the case. The jury's verdict is non-binding and the court still holds a bench trial, in which a judge makes all decisions.

In Joo and Kim's case, six out of the nine jury members delivered not-guilty verdicts and the judge sided with the jury's decision.

In the article, Joo revisited a 2011 case in which the body of a nephew of the first family of Park was found on a hiking trail near Mount Bukhan in northern Seoul. Just three kilometers from the scene, another nephew of the Park family was found hanging from a tree.

Wrapping up their investigation into the two cases, police had concluded that one nephew murdered the other before committing suicide by hanging himself due to financial disputes.

In his reports, Joo cited a legal dispute between Park Ji-man and his brother-in-law, and argued that Park was involved in the crime.

Joo, who gained national fame as a co-host of the popular online political satire "Naneun Ggomsuda," roughly translated in English as "I am a Petty-minded Creep," also allegedly made defamatory remarks against the president's late father, former President Park Chung-hee, according to prosecutors.

Joo was charged with posthumously defaming the leader Park by publicly saying that he had left a large sum of wealth worth 10 trillion won (US$9.03 billion) to his offspring.

Eight out of the nine jurors cleared Joo of the second charge as well.

Started in 2011, the show regularly stirred up allegations of wrongdoing by notable politicians and business and religious leaders. The show was suspended after December's presidential election. (Yonhap News)