Calling him a cow was 'beyond satire'

A South Korean comedian has been fined after comparing a politician to a cow.

No Jeong-ryeol was charged with libel after ridiculing a member of the ruling Grand National Party who, had himself flouted an earlier court injunction.

The conservative politician Cho Jun-hyuk had previously been fined more than £8,000 for publishing the personal details of members of a liberal teachers’ union on his website.

At a protest rally in May, the comedian had joked that the union should not take action against Cho because lawsuits could only be filed against humans, not ‘a dog or a cow’.

In a Seoul court, No had claimed that as a public figure, Cho could be subject to criticism.

But the court ruled that ‘alluding to him as a dog or a cow is beyond what he can accept as a public figure, and therefore, it should be regarded as damaging to his reputation.’ The comic was fined £280.

He said he will appeal the case, as ‘satire and comedy should not be dealt with criminal punishment’, the Malaysian news agency Bernama reports.

Published: 8 Dec 2010