Lee Hee Ho / Korea Times files



By Woo Ji-woo





Dr. Dre / Korea Times files

A court has fined a man, 73, who spread a false rumor online that Lee Hee-ho, widow of late former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, planned to marry American hip-hop musician Andre Romelle Young, better known as Dr. Dre.

Seoul Western District Court fined the man 5 million won ($4,400) on Friday on charges of cyber defamation and defamation against the deceased.

In January, the unidentified man said on his blog that "the former first lady Lee is to wed Dr. Dre to launder the late Kim's slush funds," referring to the hip-hop legend who rose to stardom in the 1980s with N.W.A. and has released many hits such as "Still Dr. Dre" and "California Love."

"The defendant violated the honor of the deceased and the bereaved,"Judge Lee Eun-hee said in the ruling.

"The rumor about the slush fund and the marriage between Lee and Dr. Dre is groundless."

The late Kim, a towering figure in modern Korean history who swore to embrace the military state of North Korea with his friendly "sunshine policy" during his 1998-2003 term, died at 85 in 2009.

Lee, 95, has remained an influential figure in Korean politics since her husband's death.

In 2011, she visited North Korea to offer her condolences for the death of the then leader Kim Jong-il.

She paid another visit in 2015 to meet Kim Jong-un, who has succeeded his father, but failed to do so.