A local court on Friday ordered a journalist to pay 10 million won ($8,700) to YG Entertainment, one of the country's top management agencies, and its head for defamation by reporting false allegations of drug abuse by its singers.

The Seoul Western District Court found the reporter working at a local sports newspaper, whose identity was withheld, guilty of reporting on possible drug abuse by YG singers in July 2015 and defaming the plaintiffs.

The agency and its chief Yang Hyun-suk had originally sought

100 million won in compensation each for a total of 200 million won.

The court, while acknowledging that the report was false, said

200 million won was too much and ordered the reporter to pay a sum of 5 million won each to Yang and YG. (Yonhap)