Rep. Lee Jung-hyun Confirmed to Pay 10 Million Won Fine for Sewol Ferry Report Interference... Retains Parliamentary Seat

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Independent lawmaker Lee Jung-hyun, who was indicted for interfering with KBS's coverage during the Sewol ferry disaster, has been sentenced to a fine.

The Supreme Court's 3rd Division (Presiding Judge Lee Dong-won) on the 16th upheld the lower court's ruling that sentenced Lee to a fine of 10 million won on charges of violating the Broadcasting Act.

With this ruling, Lee was able to retain his seat as a lawmaker. Members of the National Assembly lose their seats if they are sentenced to imprisonment or higher in general criminal cases, excluding violations of the Public Official Election Act. This ruling also marks the first case in 30 years since the enactment of the Broadcasting Act, which regulates interference in broadcasting, where a violation has been punished.

Lee, who served as the Blue House's Chief of Public Relations in April 2014, right after the Sewol ferry disaster, is accused of calling Kim Si-gon, then KBS News Director, and requesting to "remove it from the news editing" and "re-record and produce it again" when KBS covered problems with the Coast Guard and government response and rescue efforts as major news, thereby interfering with the editing.

The first trial sentenced Lee to one year in prison with a two-year probation. The second trial also found him guilty but reduced the sentence to a fine. The Supreme Court likewise upheld the second trial's judgment. The court stated, "There is no error in the lower court's interpretation of the law regarding 'interference in broadcasting programming' as stipulated in the Broadcasting Act."

Immediately after the Supreme Court ruling, Lee said, "I unconditionally accept the judiciary's final decision," and added, "I feel sorry and heavy-hearted thinking that instead of comforting the Sewol victims' families, I may have caused them further pain. I apologize." However, he pointed out issues with the Broadcasting Act provisions. He argued, "The fact that this is the first case punished for infringing on the independence of broadcasting programming means that the related legal provisions are ambiguous, that there was room for dispute, and that there are many points to be improved," and called for "a review of the related laws in the National Assembly."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.