A man in his 50s who claimed "Coast Guard told us to stay still" during the Sewol ferry sinking... Criminal compensation granted

Court: "State to pay approximately 5.54 million won in criminal compensation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] A man in his 50s who was prosecuted for spreading false information that the Coast Guard broadcasted "stay still" to passengers during the Sewol ferry sinking, but was acquitted, will receive criminal compensation.

On the 23rd, according to the legal community, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 51 (Chief Presiding Judge Ko Yeon-geum) accepted the claim of Mr. Jin (55) and ruled, "The state shall pay Mr. Jin 5,545,000 KRW as criminal compensation."

In May 2014, Mr. Jin posted on a portal site bulletin board, "The broadcast saying 'stay still' during the Sewol ferry sinking was not made by the captain or crew, but by the Coast Guard after rescuing the captain and crew, taking control of the wheelhouse with the intention to kill the passengers."

The first trial sentenced Mr. Jin to a fine of 3 million KRW, stating that he "exceeded the level of legitimate questioning and defamed the honor of the Coast Guard by stating false facts." However, the appellate court judged that it was difficult to see that Mr. Jin recognized the content as false when posting and acquitted him.

The appellate court stated, "If any questioning or suspicion is not allowed under the burden of criminal punishment until fact verification is completed, it would result in suppressing even sound criticism or questioning of the government." Neither Mr. Jin nor the prosecution appealed after the appellate ruling, and the acquittal was finalized in December 2018.