With the 20th presidential election approaching, Kim Se-eui, head of the Garosero Research Institute (Gaseyeon), who was indicted on charges of using personal information obtained by recruiting a "rigged election watchdog group" for his own campaign activities, was acquitted on appeal. The first-instance guilty verdict that fined Kim 2 million won was overturned.
According to legal sources on the 27th, the Criminal Appeals Division 5-2 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judges Kim Yong-jung, Kim Ji-seon, and So Byung-jin) acquitted Kim and the Gaseyeon corporation of charges of violating the Personal Information Protection Act.
On Mar. 9, 2022, ahead of the presidential election, Kim posted on online communities that he was recruiting a "rigged election watchdog group." At the time, he also posted a L.I.N.C where applicants could enter their names and phone numbers.
But in Mar. of the following year, when Kim ran in the People Power Party's supreme council election, a Gaseyeon employee sent a promotional message announcing his candidacy to the watchdog applicant, identified as A, at the applicant's mobile phone number, and A reported Kim to the police.
In the first trial, the court accepted the prosecution's claim that Kim used A's personal information beyond the scope of the collection purpose, found him guilty, and fined both Kim and Gaseyeon 2 million won each.
However, the appellate court said, "It cannot be concluded that A provided the phone number solely for rigged election watchdog activities," and acquitted him.