'False Information Publication' An Seung-nam, Guri Mayor, Acquitted... Retains Mayoral Position

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Anseungnam, mayor of Guri, Gyeonggi Province, who was indicted for spreading false information ahead of the 2018 local elections, was acquitted.

The Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Noh Jeong-hee) on the 13th upheld the lower court's ruling that acquitted Mayor An, who was charged with violating the Public Official Election Act.

Mayor An was prosecuted for posting on social networking services (SNS) before the June 13, 2018 local elections, stating that the "Guri World Design City project is Gyeonggi Yeonjeong No. 1 project," which was alleged to be false information under the election law. Both the first and second trials ruled not guilty, stating that "the accusation that the Gyeonggi Yeonjeong No. 1 project is false is unclear." The Supreme Court agreed with this judgment.

With this acquittal, Mayor An can retain his position. If an elected public official is sentenced to imprisonment or fined 1 million won or more for violating the Public Official Election Act or the Political Funds Act, their election is invalidated.

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