Actress Kim Kyu-ri is pushing back hard against a rumor that her café deliberately hung the Korean flag upside down — and she says legal action is on the table.
In an October 12 post on her social media, Kim thanked the local outlet Yeongam County People’s News for correcting the record. A photo had been spreading online showing a Taegeukgi mounted upside down on a utility pole in front of her café in Yeongam County, with some netizens accusing her side of hanging it wrong on purpose.
But according to Yeongam County, the flag had nothing to do with her business. The county said the flags were installed by a private contractor on its behalf for National Foundation Day, Gaecheonjeol, and Hangul Day — roughly 1,000 flags in total — and the upside-down one was simply a misinstallation during that process. A county official said, “The flag has nothing to do with the nearby café. We hope there will be no unnecessary speculation or misunderstanding.”
Kim warned her detractors directly, writing that posting unverified false claims to damage someone’s reputation can lead to punishment under defamation law. She added that hanging or attaching anything to a utility pole without permission is itself punishable as a misdemeanor.
The incident is the latest reminder of how quickly social media pile-ons can form around a single photo before the facts are checked.
