Managing Attorney No Jong-eon | Ilgan Sports 「No Jong-eon Entertainment Court」 Column

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"Unrelated to Duties" — The Legal Logic Was Right, but Public Opinion Was Wrong

The controversy over famous YouTuber Kwaktube, who has 2 million subscribers, involving 'postpartum care center sponsorship' has surfaced. It was revealed that his spouse, a sitting public official, received financial benefits from a postpartum care center, including room upgrades worth hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of won. In response, Kwaktube's side explained, "Based on legal advice, we confirmed that it is unrelated to the spouse's duties." However, public sentiment remains cold.

Managing Attorney No Jong-eon points out the reason in this column. Kwaktube's explanation was a typical legal defense strategy aimed at reducing the level of criminal punishment, but it overlooked the core of Article 8, Paragraph 1 of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act (Kim Young-ran Act): a provision that prohibits accepting money or valuables exceeding 1 million won per instance, regardless of whether it is related to official duties. Public outrage stemmed from this very point, not from a legal loophole.

The Logic of the Courtroom and the Logic of Public Opinion Speak Different Languages

Through this incident, Managing Attorney No Jong-eon points out the key issue that must be addressed in crisis management for public figures and celebrities. Advice from legal experts sets only the minimum line of defense known as 'whether it violates positive law,' but the standards the public demands of public figures go far beyond the wording of the law, into morality and social common sense.

The argument that "it is unrelated to the spouse's duties" may be valid in court. However, the 'court of public opinion' is an entirely different matter. The moment one becomes fixated on legal defense and misjudges that 'this should be enough,' public trust, the most important asset of a celebrity, suffers damage that is difficult to recover.

Legal Advice Is Only a Reference, Not a Master Key

Managing Attorney No Jong-eon concludes the column as follows. The opinion of legal experts is merely one reference to consider in crisis management, and cannot be a master key that settles the matter. Before disputing guilt or innocence under the law, public figures and celebrities are required to have a high level of ethical sensitivity that can gauge how their actions will be evaluated against the scale of the public's common sense.

"No Jong-eon Entertainment Court" is regularly serialized in Ilgan Sports. Based on his on-site experience handling major entertainment disputes such as the cases of Goo Hara, Park Soo-hong, Omega X, and Sunwoo Eun-sook, Managing Attorney No Jong-eon of Law Firm Jonjae provides in-depth insight into entertainment law issues.