SEOUL: Two securities-company workers have been found guilty of spreading false rumours online about a South Korean actress who killed herself in a much-publicised case, but the duo were sentenced to do only community service.

The Seoul Central District Court handed down on Tuesday a suspended sentence of 10 months and 120 hours of community service to the two on charges of libel, said court officials.

A 24-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman, both identified by the surname Baek, were indicted in April for spreading false rumours on the Internet about actress Choi Jin Sil, who committed suicide last October.

Last September, the man received an anonymous note through his online messenger system and forwarded the contents to 150 of his acquaintances.

The note identified Choi as a loan shark whose hounding had led actor Ahn Jae Hwan to commit suicide.

The woman, one of the recipients of the messages, then posted the details on an online bulletin board.

Choi, before killing herself, hinted that she had suffered great distress over the false rumours accusing her of being involved in the death of Ahn, who was a personal acquaintance and the husband of her close friend, comedienne Jung Sun Hee.

"Both (accused persons) were aware that the rumours were not based on facts, and had intentions of defaming Choi by spreading and posting the corresponding contents," said the court in its ruling.

- KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK