Court Orders Deletion of Defamatory Articles on MC Mong and Cha Ga-won

A South Korean court has ordered the deletion and prohibition of further dissemination of articles alleging an affair and pregnancy between singer MC Mong (real name Shin Dong-hyun) and Cha Ga-won, CEO of One Hundred. This decision follows the submission of a statement acknowledging that the messages used as the basis for the reports were fabricated by MC Mong himself.

On the 26th, the Seoul Western District Court's 21st Civil Division (Presiding Judge Shin Myung-hee) partially granted Cha's request for an injunction against media outlet A to ban the publication of certain articles and videos.

The court ruled that media outlet A must delete specific content from its December 24, 2025 report titled "[Exclusive] 'We Tried So Hard to Get Pregnant'... MC Mong & Cha Ga-won, 12 Billion Won Affair" and related YouTube videos. The content to be deleted includes statements implying or asserting an affair or romantic relationship between Cha and MC Mong, alleged KakaoTalk message captures, and claims about Cha receiving ovulation injections. The court also prohibited reposting this content on internet news sites or social media. Media outlet A is responsible for 90% of the litigation costs.

The court found the evidence submitted by the media outlet to be lacking in credibility. It specifically noted that the key KakaoTalk conversation images were acknowledged by MC Mong as fabricated in a submitted statement. Other conversation materials were also dismissed as MC Mong denied their authenticity in a separate statement. Additional evidence, such as recordings or third-party statements, was deemed to have little evidentiary value.

Regarding the pregnancy attempt claims, the court stated, "The only supporting evidence is the conversation images, which MC Mong admitted to fabricating, and there is no evidence that the claimant received ovulation injections." Cha's side reportedly submitted five years of gynecological records to the court to counter these claims.

The court concluded, "While media outlet A may have had reasonable grounds to believe the reported facts were true, this does not prevent the exercise of the right to request the deletion of the article."

However, the request to delete the entire article was not granted. The portion of the article stating that Cha demanded the return of 12 billion won from MC Mong was not contested by either party and was not deemed to infringe on personal rights. The request to delete the YouTube video and impose penalties for non-compliance was also denied, as the video had already been made private and there was insufficient evidence of continued infringement.

Reported by Min-kyung Lee, Ten Asia 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr