Media firm chief acquitted of insulting Lee

A local court acquitted the chief of an online media firm Friday of charges of insulting and threatening President Lee Myung-bak in a hostile online posting.

Shin Sang-cheol, head of online news outlet Surprise, was indicted on the charges in February after a conservative group sued him over his posting on the company's Web site that allegedly threatened the president with foul words.

He told prosecutors that he wrote it after the prosecution launched an investigation into former President Roh Moo-hyun's daughter for bribery charges.

Wrapping up months of investigation, prosecutors charged Roh Jeong-yeon in late August for buying a luxury apartment in the United States through an illicit currency exchange process in violation of the country's foreign exchange transaction law.

Supporters of the former president opposed the probe that was reopened earlier this year after being halted in 2009, when he took his own life at the height of the investigation.

"It is hard to see that the defendant sparked fear with his posting and infringed upon the victim's freedom of decision-making," said Kim Young-sik, a chief judge of the Seoul Southern District Court, in his verdict.

"Though the journalist used preposterous, vulgar words to blast the president in public, punishing him according to the law, beyond criticizing him with a moral compass, should be extremely prudent," the judge added. (Yonhap News)