Supreme Court Rules Repeated Banners After Removal as Separate Offenses
Supreme Court Rules on Repeated Defamation Against HiteJinro The Supreme Court has made a significant ruling regarding the legal consequences of repeated acts of defamation against a major liquor company, HiteJinro. The court determined that if an individual is convicted for defaming the company by hanging banners and later posts similar banners with altered expressions, this constitutes a separate new crime. As a result, the individual can be punished again for the subsequent actions. This decision clarifies that when a new criminal intent is formed after the initial offense and a similar crime is committed, the multiple acts cannot be considered a single "inclusive offense" (포괄일죄). This ruling has important implications for how courts handle cases involving repeated violations of similar nature. According to legal experts, the Supreme Court’s Third Division, led by Presiding Justice Lee Heung-koo, recently overturned the lower courts’ dismissal of the prosecution’s indi...