A classmate accused of repeatedly spreading false information and insulting a sitting mayor in group chat rooms to unseat him has been detained by the court.
According to legal circles on the 3rd, the Suwon District Court’s Criminal Division 13 (Judge Jang Seok-jun) sentenced A, who was indicted on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act, and insult, to one year in prison for violating the Public Official Election Act and four months in prison for insult.
According to the ruling and related documents, A, a classmate of Choi Dae-ho, the mayor of Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, was referred to trial for allegedly publicizing false facts 50 times from February to April 2024 in multiple group chat rooms attended by 191 people, including one large group, with the intent of unseating Mayor Choi. He was found to have raised suspicions such as “privatization of terminal site land,” “mobilizing organized crime to threaten citizens,” “forging academic credentials,” and “bribery allegations” against Mayor Choi.
A also faces charges of insulting Mayor Choi 25 times during the same period, including referring to him as a “thief.”
During the trial, A’s side argued that all the statements in question were factual and that the insult charges constituted legitimate political criticism.
However, the court determined that the suspicions raised by A were objectively false or lacked credible evidence to support the...
A classmate accused of repeatedly spreading false information and insulting a sitting mayor in group chat rooms to unseat him has been detained by the court. According to legal circles on the 3rd,...