Four years ago, former People Power Party lawmaker Min Kyung-wook was indicted for illegally leaving his home during quarantine for COVID-19 and has been convicted by the Supreme Court.
On the 29th, the Supreme Court's third division (Chief Justice Noh Kyung-pil) upheld the original ruling sentencing the former lawmaker to a fine of 700,000 won and one year of suspended imprisonment for violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.
Former lawmaker Min is accused of illegally leaving his home during the quarantine period after returning from a business trip to the United States in March 2021 to attend a National Assembly fast-track related trial at the Seoul Southern District Court.
At that time, former lawmaker Min was supposed to be in quarantine for two weeks. After the quarantine period, he needed to receive a negative diagnosis from a public health center to go outside. However, it was found that Min left his home about three hours before the quarantine was lifted.
The first and second trial courts sentenced former lawmaker Min to a fine of 700,000 won and one year of suspended imprisonment. The court stated, "The private vehicle used by the defendant when moving to the Southern District Court cannot be considered as corresponding to 'home' written on the quarantine notification," adding, "Even if he drove alone, leaving home constitutes a violation of the quarantine measure."
The Supreme Court commented on the original ruling, stating, "There is no error in recognizing the establishment of a violation of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act and misunderstanding the principles regarding justifiable acts."