"Spokesperson Heo Seong-mu Fined for Spreading False Claims of Candidate Hong Nam-pyo's Quarantine Law Violation"

Accused of Distributing False Press Releases Ahead of the June 1 Local Elections

Last year, during the June 1 nationwide local elections, a member of the campaign team for Heo Seong-mu, the Democratic Party candidate for mayor of Changwon, was fined for spreading false information.

According to the legal community on the 9th, the Criminal Division 4 of Changwon District Court sentenced former spokesperson A, who was indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act, to a fine of 5 million won.

A is accused of spreading false information last May that Hong Nam-pyo, the People Power Party candidate for mayor of Changwon, violated the private gathering limit of 8 people.

He was indicted for distributing a press release to reporters claiming that Candidate Hong had dinner with 16 people at a restaurant in Changwon, violating COVID-19 quarantine rules, and that the police had received reports but left the case unattended for two months.

Changwon District Court, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

The election campaign committee of Candidate Hong completely denied the contents of the press release and reported A to the Gyeongnam Election Commission. The provincial election commission concluded that A published false information with the intent to defeat the opposing candidate and reported him to the prosecution.

Subsequent police investigations revealed that Candidate Hong did not have a meal with multiple people at the time and place mentioned by A, and that Hong was not booked for violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.

The court recognized A’s conditional intent, stating that he spread false information without verifying the truth of the contents in the press release.

"At the time of the incident, social distancing rules were strictly enforced, and whether any candidate violated quarantine rules was a matter of great public attention," the court said. "This likely had a negative impact on voters’ judgment regarding the victim’s suitability for public office."

It added, "However, considering that the crime did not appear to have a significant impact on the election and that supporters did hold gatherings violating quarantine rules which led to police intervention, these factors were taken into account in sentencing."

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