Jeong Dong-young, Member of the National Assembly, Faces Disqualification Sentence in Appeal for Publicizing False Information in General Election

The prosecution has sought a disqualification sentence against Jeong Dong-young, a member of the Democratic Party and representative of Jeonju Byeong, who was indicted for publicizing false information during the 22nd general election.

During the appeal hearing held on the 23rd at the Jeonju branch of the Gwangju High Court, the 1st Criminal Division (Judge Yang Jin-soo) requested the court to impose a fine of 4 million KRW in connection with Jeong's violation of the Public Official Election Act.

According to the Public Official Election Act, the election is invalidated if an elected official is confirmed to have a fine of over 1 million KRW, making the current prosecution's demand directly linked to whether Jeong will lose his position.

Disqualification of Election

The prosecution argued, "Despite the defendant's pre-election campaign and the clear publicity of false information, the initial court fundamentally misjudged the facts, which constitutes a legal error affecting the verdict." Furthermore, they pointed out that "pre-election campaigning should be assessed based on objective criteria rather than subjective circumstances, and the lower court committed an error by distorting the statements."

What is the date for Jeong Dong-young's appeal ruling?

Jeong Dong-young is accused of appealing for support from 251 constituents during a year-end event at Company A, a property management firm in his district on December 13, 2023, prior to the April 10 general election, asking them to "vote for me." This act may be considered pre-election campaigning, which is prohibited under the Public Official Election Act.

In addition, Jeong faces allegations of manipulating public opinion by requesting his supporters to respond with "20s" during a survey, to which he denied, calling it "slander and nonsense, fake news."

Subsequently, Jeong explained his statement, saying, "It was a joking remark, and I acknowledge that it was an inappropriate manner of conduct."

In the first trial, the prosecution also sought a fine of 4 million KRW against Jeong, but the court imposed a fine of 700,000 KRW.

The final ruling for Jeong Dong-young's appeal is scheduled to take place on September 8.

Image source: Jeong Dong-young, Democratic Party Representative / News1