YouTuber Aori Wins Defamation Suit Against Gangnam Clinic Over Severe Bruising Allegations

South Korean beauty YouTuber and influencer Aori (real name Kim Min-young) has successfully defended herself in civil and criminal defamation lawsuits filed by a Gangnam-based dermatology clinic. The legal disputes stemmed from photos she shared in 2021 on her social media, showing severe bruising across her body following a skin injection procedure.

On April 16, the Seoul High Court, Division 13 (Presiding Judge Moon Gwang-seop), dismissed an appeal from the clinic, reaffirming the lower court’s ruling that Aori’s statements were not defamatory. The clinic had originally sued Aori for 1.3 billion KRW (approximately $960,000 USD), claiming her posts contained 11 instances of false information that damaged their reputation.

Aori alleged that she underwent a ‘health injection’ promoted by the clinic for chronic inflammation and body alignment, but suffered from extreme bruising without receiving proper compensation. Her posts included commentary such as “It’s not a bruising procedure, it’s a health injection,” “It took two to three hours,” “They told me refunds are difficult,” and “The director’s daughter, who’s a fan, personally stopped the bleeding.”

However, both the first and second instance courts concluded her claims could not be clearly defined as false. “There is no evidence that the 11 statements provided by Aori constituted falsehoods,” said the court. As the clinic chose not to submit a further appeal after the High Court ruling, the verdict stands as final.

In a separate criminal case, the Suwon District Prosecutor’s Office Seongnam Branch had dismissed the clinic’s charges in June 2023, marking another legal victory for Aori.

However, controversy swirled around Aori’s ex-husband, Seo Ju-won, who publicly posted vulgar comments on social media attacking the medical professionals involved in Aori’s treatment, saying, “Don’t twist the facts, [expletive]. It’s horrific that someone like you is a doctor in Korea.” The court found his remarks defamatory and ordered him to pay 2 million KRW in damages to the clinic.

Aori gained fame through her appearance on Channel A’s reality show ‘Heart Signal’ in 2017, where she met Seo Ju-won, a race car driver. The two married in 2018 but divorced in 2022.