Newspaper ordered to pay compensation for publishing nude photo

SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Yonhap) -- A district court in Seoul ordered a newspaper
Wednesday to pay compensation for damages caused by a nude photo it published of
a former art professor who was involved in a high-profile academic forgery
scandal.
The Seoul Central District Court ordered Munhwa Ilbo and its former chief editor
to pay a combined 150 million won (US$113,500) to Shin Jeong-ah, a former Dongguk
University art professor who was convicted for falsifying her academic
credentials.
The fake degree scandal, which erupted last year, evolved into a nationwide media
frenzy due to Shin's romantic ties to a former presidential aide who abused his
position to peddle influence in her favor.
Munhwa Ilbo, which obtained a nude picture of Shin, published the photo in
September 2007, alleging she may have lobbied for funds and other interests by
offering sexual favors.
"It is clear that Shin's reputation has been tainted through the report," the
court said in a statement, underlining that the allegation was groundless given
that there was no concrete evidence provided.
The court also said that publishing the photo was most likely not done out of
public interest but rather to boost the paper's sale.
Shin was found guilty of forging her bachelor's and master's degrees from the
University of Kansas to land a teaching job as well as other high-profile posts
and embezzling corporate donations from a museum she had worked for.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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