Police said Monday they have referred best-selling novelist Gong Ji-young to prosecutors on charges of defaming a former priest by falsely accusing him of embezzling donations.

Seocho Police Station asked the prosecutors to indict the 53-year-old novelist for violating the Information Communications Network Act.

The move came after the priest, surnamed Kim, from a cathedral in Masan, filed a complaint against Gong, who posted a comment on Facebook in July last year accusing him of using donations for personal gains.

According to Gong’s allegations, the priest gathered donations to build shelters around high-voltage transmission lines in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, but did not deliver the money to relevant organizations.

The priest filed a complaint against Gong, saying that the novelist libeled him with false accusations. 

Gong has denied the charges, claiming she raised the suspicions based on facts.

Police decided to refer her to prosecutors after they found that the collected money had been handed over to groups related to the high-voltage tower and the disabled.

Residents in Miryang and the state-run Korea Electronic Power Corporation have clashed over the government’s plan to set up high-voltage transmission lines in the area, leaving two to commit suicide in protest and nearly a hundred injured in the process.

Locals have opposed the project, citing health and environmental issues. They have denied compensation from the state and called for alternative measures, such as laying an underground power line or relocating towers to detour away from residential areas. 

KEPCO officials have denied the suggestions, citing high costs and feasibility.

The 53-year-old author is known for her active participation in social issues and for openly discussing themes including dictatorship, feminism and the labor movement in her novels. Since her literary debut “The Arrival of Dawn” in 1988, Gong has written many popular works, including “The Crucible” and “Our Happy Time,” both of which were made into films. 

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)