A man in his 40s who went on trial on charges of spreading false information before last year's presidential election—alleging that the so-called "Dobong Station Mercedes rampage incident" was linked to the family of then-candidate Lee Jae-myung—received a suspended prison sentence.
The Busan District Court's Criminal Division 6 (Presiding Judge Lim Seong-cheol) on the 17th sentenced a person surnamed Kim, who was charged with violating the Public Official Election Act, to six months in prison, suspended for two years.
Prosecutors said Kim, on Apr. 15–17 last year ahead of the presidential election, posted on social media (SNS) six times, including a post implying that the perpetrator of the incident was Lee's son, thereby publicly disseminating false information.
In court, Kim's side said, "After coming across a rumor that was already circulating online, we thought it might possibly be true and did so without specific verification," and added, "There was no active intent to prevent election."
However, the court found Kim guilty on all counts, noting that Kim had previously posted numerous similar disparaging comments and recognized the falsity.
Judge Lim said, "The defendant's conduct risks causing confusion in voters' proper decision-making, so the culpability is not light," adding, "We take into account for sentencing the defendant's prior punishments for defamation and insult."
The Dobong Station Mercedes rampage incident occurred on Mar. 29 last year near Seoul's Dobong Station, when a Mercedes driver rammed a police car and a passenger car multiple times, injuring a police officer and others. The car owner was a woman in her 40s.