SEOUL, - The Supreme Court has ordered a retrial of a defamation case involving a professor who was previously convicted for her book about victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery.
According to a new release by the Yonhap News Agency, the case is sent back to the Seoul High Court for retrial. Sejong University professor Park Yu-ha was fined 10 million won (US$7,375) six years ago for defaming victims of sexual slavery, often referred to as "comfort women," in her controversial book "Comfort Women of the Empire."
Park was indicted for defamation in November 2015 but was found not guilty in January 2017 by a district court. The Seoul High Court, however, reversed that decision and fined her in October of the same year. The Supreme Court stated that it views the controversial expressions in Park's book as academic arguments or opinions, thus making it difficult to rule that she should be punished for defamation.