Posting False Claims Such as "Fake Family Member" Online
Gwangju District Court: "Actions Lacking Empathy Cannot Be Tolerated"
On June 24, Chief Judge Kim Yeonkyung of the Gwangju District Court’s Criminal Division 2 announced that A (34), who was indicted on charges of violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation), was sentenced to a fine of 30 million won.
A was brought to trial on charges of spreading false information online, such as calling Park Hanshin, the representative of the bereaved families’ association who took part in public activities such as briefings immediately after the Jeju Air passenger plane crash on December 29 last year, a “fake family member” and a “Democratic Party member.” A is an office worker residing in Gwangju, where the largest number of victims from this disaster occurred.
The court stated, “At a time when the entire nation was mourning together, the defendant specifically cited information that was clearly false to criticize and ridicule the representative of the bereaved families. Such actions, which lack even basic empathy, cannot be tolerated.” The court further explained the sentencing by saying, “Taking into account that this is the defendant’s first offense, we are imposing a heavy fine instead of a prison sentence.”
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