A person in their 50s who systematically spread false claims that a prominent rival candidate in the June 3 local elections for the Gyeongnam Superintendent of Education was a "KTU alumnus" to block their candidacy was sentenced to a suspended prison term.
The Changwon District Court’s Criminal Division 4 (Judge Oh Dae-seok) announced on the 21st that A (in their 50s), indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act and other charges, received a one-year prison sentence suspended for two years. B (in their 50s), who was also indicted for conspiring and posting the content, was sentenced to eight months in prison suspended for two years.
According to the ruling, A instructed B, who was residing in Thailand, to post a false poster claiming that Kim Sang-gwon, a centrist-conservative candidate for the June 3 Gyeongnam Superintendent of Education election, was a "KTU alumnus" in February. A provided 200,000 Korean won as compensation. B is accused of posting the false poster and related content 135 times on platforms like Naver Band bulletin boards used by voters in the electoral district and receiving 200,000 Korean won in return.
Investigations revealed that A operated a separate "external SNS team" to support Kwon Soon-gi, the then-candidate (current superintendent), and committed the crime independently from the official campaign. A allegedly involved B, who was overseas, to avoid IP tracking by domestic authorities and directed him to use an overseas SIM card for...
A person in their 50s who systematically spread false claims that a prominent rival candidate in the June 3 local elections for the Gyeongnam Superintendent of Education was a "KTU alumnus" to blo...