Kang Yong-seok and Kim Se-ui convicted of spreading false information about candidate Lee Jae-myung

Ahead of the 20th presidential election, lawyer Kang Yong-seok and head of the Garosero Research Institute Kim Se-ui were found guilty in the first trial for spreading false information about then-Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung.

On the 20th, the 27th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Woo In-sung) sentenced lawyer Kang to a fine of 10 million won and Kim to a fine of 7 million won for violating the Public Official Election Act (dissemination of false information).

The court indicated in its ruling that "speculative facts derived from allegations without objective evidence cannot be regarded as reasonably substantiated claims."

Furthermore, it explained the sentencing background, stating, "It is unclear to what extent the content aired influenced voters' perceptions, but the lack of follow-up (clarification) reports and the absence of fact-checking procedures indicate that the nature of the crime is not light."

The court stated, "Claims of juvenile detention history and extramarital child allegations were made without evidence."

Kang and Kim alleged during a YouTube broadcast in May 2021 that "candidate Lee Jae-myung committed a crime severe enough to be sent to a juvenile detention center during his middle and high school years."

In November of the same year, they remarked regarding an incident where Lee Jae-myung's spouse, Kim Hye-kyung, suffered a fall at their home, suggesting that "a marital dispute arose over an extramarital child issue."

The two were prosecuted in September 2022 on the grounds that their statements constituted the dissemination of false information during the election process.

Image sources: News1, Lawyer Kang Yong-seok / News1, Kim Se-ui, Head of the Garosero Research Institute / News1