“(Due to COVID-19) Saying 'Hwakjjinja' is Insulting? ... First Case Reported in Cheongju”

Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office Indicts Public Official for Calling Subordinate a 'Hwakjjinja'

A flyer advertisement created by a health club using the term 'Hwakjjinja'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The investigative authorities have made the first ruling that the newly coined term "Hwakjjinja," created after the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), can be considered insulting language toward others.

According to the legal community on the 24th, the Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office recently indicted Mr. A, a Grade 6 public official at Cheongju City Hall, without detention on charges of insult after he poked a subordinate's body and said, "Here is a Hwakjjinja, here it is."

The term "Hwakjjinja" sounds similar to "confirmed COVID-19 patient" (hwakjinja) and has been used among close acquaintances after the COVID-19 outbreak as a mocking expression for "a person who has gained weight."

It is also listed in the Naver Korean Dictionary as a newly coined word meaning "a person who has rapidly gained weight due to a sharp decrease in physical activity while refraining from going out at home because of concerns about COVID-19 infection."

According to the prosecution, on March 18, Mr. A poked subordinate Mr. B's body in the presence of several people at the Cheongju City Hall Secretariat and said, "Here is a Hwakjjinja, here it is," thereby insulting Mr. B.

Earlier, the Cheongju Sangdang Police Station had sent Mr. A to the prosecution last month with a recommendation for non-prosecution, but the prosecution overturned the decision.

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