Pre-election Loudspeaker Campaign, Daejeon Mayor Fined 700,000 Won

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Lee Jang-woo, the mayor of Daejeon, who was accused of campaigning with a loudspeaker before the nationwide local elections, has been fined.

According to the local legal community on the 21st, the Criminal Division 11 of the Daejeon District Court (Chief Judge Park Heon-haeng) recently sentenced Mayor Lee, who was indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act, to a fine of 700,000 won.

Mayor Lee was indicted and tried for campaigning with a loudspeaker while attending the inauguration ceremony of the Ojeong Market Middleman Association in May last year.

The court stated, "The defendant violated the purpose of the election law, which was enacted to ensure the fairness and transparency of elections, and the culpability is not light," but added, "However, considering that the loudspeaker was installed on-site in advance and the defendant appeared to have made an impromptu appeal for support at the scene, it does not seem to be a pre-prepared speech (campaigning)."

Furthermore, the court explained the sentencing rationale, saying, "Taking into account that the defendant admitted all charges and showed remorse, and that there is no prior record of punishment for violating the Public Official Election Act, the sentence is determined accordingly."

Meanwhile, Mayor Lee received a sentence lower than the 1,000,000 won fine threshold for disqualification, allowing him to retain his mayoral position.

After the court's ruling, Mayor Lee said, "There was a misunderstanding regarding the current law, and it was my fault for not clearly recognizing the election law," adding, "I will humbly accept the court's decision."

The local legal community's consensus is that since the sentence matches the prosecution's original demand, the likelihood of either side appealing appears low.