[Edaily Starin JOO MEE_HEE Reporter] Actress Kim Gyu-ri warned that spreading false information could result in legal liability after a photo showing the South Korean flag hanging upside down near the café she operates went viral online.

Recently, photos taken near Kim Gyu-ri’s café in Yeongam County, South Jeolla Province, were posted on online communities. The photos showed the South Korean flag hanging upside down on a utility pole near the building, prompting criticism from some netizens.
However, it remains unconfirmed who hung the flags or under what circumstances. There is also no evidence that Kim Gyu-ri or the café staff hung them themselves.
As the controversy spread, Kim Gyu-ri issued a statement on her social media on the 9th.
Kim Gyu-ri began by asking, “Is the season of reaping approaching?” and then cited a legal provision stating that spreading false information online to defame others is punishable by law.
She continued, “Please be aware that you may be punished by law if you defame someone by citing unverified false information.”
She also emphasized that the location where the South Korean flag was displayed was a utility pole. Kim Kyu-ri added, “For your information, the act of arbitrarily hanging or attaching anything to a utility pole by an individual is punishable as a misdemeanor.”
Although she did not directly reveal who had installed the Taegeukgi, this is interpreted as her drawing a clear line against claims circulating online that suggest she or the café had hoisted the flag in question.