A person in their 20s who burned the Taegeukgi at the Sewol Ferry rally... Supreme Court rules "Not guilty of desecrating the national flag"

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] The Supreme Court acquitted a man in his 20s of charges of desecrating the national flag after he was prosecuted for burning the Taegeukgi at a memorial rally for the Sewol ferry victims.

According to the legal community on the 13th, the Supreme Court's 3rd Division (Presiding Justice No Taeak) upheld the lower court's ruling sentencing Kim, who was charged with desecration of the national flag, obstruction of general traffic, violation of the Assembly and Demonstration Act, and damage to public property, to six months in prison with a one-year probation.

Kim was prosecuted for raising the Taegeukgi and setting it on fire with a lighter toward police officers suppressing a rally at Gwanghwamun Square on April 18, 2015. Kim committed this act out of anger that the government did not investigate the truth of the Sewol ferry accident and unlawfully detained rally participants including bereaved families.

The first trial court ruled, "It is difficult to recognize that the defendant had the intent to insult the Republic of Korea," acquitting him of the national flag desecration charge and sentencing him to probation for other charges. The second trial also dismissed the appeal, stating, "Considering the circumstances of Kim burning the Taegeukgi at the rally and his actions before and after, the evidence submitted by the prosecution does not prove beyond reasonable doubt that Kim had the intent to insult the national flag."

The Supreme Court also made the same judgment as the first and second trials, confirming the acquittal on the charge of desecrating the national flag.

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