The court has ordered that liberal commentator Rhyu Si-min pay five million won in fines for defamatory comments he made about justice minister Han Dong-hoon.

The Seoul Western District Court on Thursday handed down its ruling for the former health minister who was indicted on libel charges. The prosecution had sought a one-year prison sentence.

Rhyu was brought to trial in May last year for remarks made in a 2020 media interview and through his YouTube channel in 2019. He claimed that the Supreme Prosecutors Office illegally tracked down the bank accounts held by himself and a foundation dedicated to former President Roh Moo-hyun, where Rhyu previously served as board chairman.

Justice minister Han was leading the prosecution's anti-corruption unit at the time.

The court said that Rhyu's remarks gave the impression that Han abused his investigative authority for underhanded purposes, causing him serious mental anguish.

The court also noted that the former lawmaker and Cabinet minister, who is now an author and commentator, had over one million YouTube followers at the time of the incident, a point demonstrating his social influence.