The model and YouTuber, Aura, revealed in 2021 the damage from a health injection procedure that left bruises all over her body, and she has been awarded a final victory in a 1.3 billion won lawsuit from the hospital. The court ruled that “it is hard to consider it as false information.”
“Body got bruised after health injection”… Hospital filed a direct lawsuit after the revelation
In 2021, Aura revealed side effects after the procedure through Instagram and YouTube, stating that “an injection said to be good for health left bruises all over my body.” The photos released at the time vividly showed dark bruises spreading to her legs, arms, and back, shocking many.
The hospital claimed “false information dissemination” and filed a 1.3 billion won damage compensation lawsuit, directly rebutting Aura’s claims and escalating to a truth battle.
The court: “None of the 11 claims are false… hospital’s explanation is insufficient”
The Seoul High Court, as with the first trial, dismissed the hospital’s claims entirely. The court sided with Aura, stating that “none of the 11 expressions pointed out by the hospital were recognized as false information.”
In particular, it highlighted the lack of ‘prior notice obligation,’ mentioning that “the possibility of widespread bruising was not included in the consent form, and the hospital also appears to have not foreseen such bruising.”
‘Health injection’ expression is also not problematic… hospital promotional materials served as evidence
The court also found no problem with the use of the term ‘health injection.’ It considered the term consistent with the general perception of consumers, given its promotion for “posture correction, shoulder/neck pain relief,” as stated on the hospital’s website and media articles.
In addition, it dismissed the hospital’s claims, pointing out that statements about the prolonged procedure time and the hospital director’s daughter assisting in the hemostasis process were all based on facts.
Claim of being told “refund is difficult” is also true… Hospital trust was already broken
The court also concluded that Aura’s “refund is difficult” statement could hardly be dismissed as false. At the time, the hospital advocated to “wait and see for two weeks,” while the court recognized that “an immediate refund demand was reasonable from the patient’s perspective, where trust had already collapsed.”
No medical qualifications for the director’s daughter assisting in hemostasis? “Inappropriate, but true”
Aura’s revelation that the hospital director’s daughter assisted in hemostasis during the procedure was not false. The hospital claimed “she is an employee, but not involved in the procedure,” yet the court concluded, “it is true that a counseling staff member without medical qualifications assisted directly in hemostasis, and pointing this out falls within the range of freedom of expression.”
Criminal case also cleared… Only the ex-husband Seo Joo-won ordered to pay 2 million won in compensation
The defamation criminal complaint filed by the hospital was also concluded as the prosecution dropped the charges. However, during the procedure controversy, Aura’s ex-husband Seo Joo-won’s profanity-laden posts on social media were recognized as insults, leading to a compensation order of 2 million won.
“Only sought to reveal the truth”… Court recognized freedom of expression
This verdict is interpreted as a clear demonstration of the limits of private defamation lawsuits against public interest disclosures. The court emphasized that “the victim’s efforts to publicize the side effects of the procedure were not false information and should be protected in terms of consumer protection and the right to know.”
