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       Author Who Defected From North Korea Wins Defamation Lawsuit

       Jang Jin-sung？, known for his memoir “Dear Leader,” was accused of rape by a fellow North Korean defector. He sued her and a South Korean broadcaster and won.

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       Jang Jin-sung in London in 2012. Credit...Sylvia Hui/Associated Press

       By Choe Sang-Hun

       Reporting from Seoul

       April 5, 2024, 8:10 a.m. ET

       An author who defected from North Korea has won a defamation lawsuit that he filed in South Korea against a fellow defector who accused him of rape and the broadcaster that first reported her allegations.

       The South Korean Supreme Court last month upheld a lower court’s ruling in favor of the author, Jang Jin-sung. Mr. Jang sued his accuser, Sung Sel-hyang, and the TV channel MBC in 2021, after MBC aired reports about Ms. ？Sung’s accusations.

       The lower court’s October ruling ？found Ms. Sung’s allegations to be false and ordered her, MBC and two other defendants — an MBC reporter and Ms. Sung’s husband — to pay Mr. Jang a total of 4？7 million won, or $35,000, in damages. It also ordered MBC not to rebroadcast its 2021 reports about Mr. Jang or post them online.

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       Choe Sang-Hun is the lead reporter for The Times in Seoul, covering South and North Korea. More about Choe Sang-Hun

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