Kim Kyung-soo Guilty... Yoon Seok-yeol "Moon Regime Legitimacy Issue" vs. Ruling Party "Regrettable Verdict"

Yoon: "The reality of election manipulation fully exposed... incomparable to the National Intelligence Service comment incident"
Lee Jun-seok, Representative: "Cheong must apologize"
Lee Jae-myung, Governor: "There is only one truth, we will surely reveal the truth with the people"
Lee Nak-yeon, Former Representative: "I believe Governor Kim's sincerity"

On the 21st, Kim Kyung-soo, Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do, is expressing his position. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol stated on the 21st that the Supreme Court's final guilty verdict against Kim Kyung-soo, Governor of Gyeongnam, "confirms through the judiciary's ruling that there is a serious problem with the fundamental legitimacy of the current administration."

On the same day (21st), Yoon issued a statement through the presidential campaign spokesperson's office, saying, "The scale of public opinion manipulation and election interference, which cannot be compared to the 'National Intelligence Service comment manipulation case,' has been revealed to the public," and added, "I respect the result of the judiciary's long and in-depth deliberation and ruling."

He also said, "Various methods of public opinion manipulation continue in this presidential election as well, and I believe the people will not tolerate any attempts to distort the will of the people (民意)."

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, also appeared on SBS's 'Joo Young-jin's News Briefing Party Leader Debate Battle' on the 21st and said regarding Governor Kim's ruling, "The Blue House should apologize for the comment manipulation when President Moon Jae-in was the leader of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy."

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim To-il = The Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Lee Dong-won) on the 21st upheld the original sentence of 2 years imprisonment for Kim Kyung-soo, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, who was indicted on charges of manipulating online comments. The acquittal on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act was also confirmed. / Source=Yonhap News

Earlier that day, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Lee Dong-won) dismissed both the prosecution's and Kim's appeals in the final trial on charges including computer-related obstruction of business and upheld the original sentence of two years imprisonment.

Kim Kyung-soo was accused of conspiring with Kim Dong-won, known as 'Druking,' who led the Economic Co-prosperity Group (Gyeonggongmo) and manipulated comments on portal news services such as Naver to support the election of President Moon Jae-in.

Druking's group demanded the position of Consul General in Osaka, Japan, as compensation for large-scale comment manipulation using automated comment-writing programs like 'King Crab,' and it was reported that Kim Kyung-soo proposed the Consul General position in Sendai.

However, the Supreme Court upheld the original ruling that acquitted Kim of the charge of violating the Public Official Election Act by proposing the Consul General position in Sendai, Japan.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Some Democratic Party figures express "regret over the Supreme Court's judgment"

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party stated in a comment by spokesperson Lee So-young in the afternoon, "We cannot hide our regret, but as the ruling party, we respect the Supreme Court's ruling on Governor Kim."

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, through the presidential campaign spokesperson, expressed "deep regret over the Supreme Court's final ruling," saying, "The Supreme Court's judgment is disappointing. The truth that Governor Kim sought to clarify through judicial procedures has ultimately become unattainable." He emphasized, "There is only one truth. We will surely reveal Governor Kim's truth together with the people."

Former leader Lee Nak-yeon also said, "It is regrettable that Governor Kim's efforts to reveal the truth were not accepted." He added, "The 2017 presidential election was an election where President Moon Jae-in's victory was anticipated by everyone. There was neither reason nor will for the Moon Jae-in campaign to resort to illegal methods," and said, "I believe in Governor Kim's sincerity (眞情)."

Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun argued, "Judging guilt solely based on Druking's unilateral claims violates the principle of evidence priority in law," and stated, "Guilt must be proven by strict evidence. We need to reflect on whether the Supreme Court was strict in this regard."

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