Kim Mina, former Changwon city council member, fined for 'absent language targeting President Lee and Kim Hyun-ji'

Former People Power Party member Kim Mi-na of Changwon City, Gyeongsangnam-do, who was indicted on charges of posting abusive language targeting President Lee Jae-myung and Blue House First Deputy Director Kim Hyun-ji on her social networking service (SNS) last year, was sentenced to a fine.

According to the legal community on the 12th, Chief Judge Lee Sang-wook of the Criminal Division 3 of the Masan Branch of the Changwon District Court sentenced former lawmaker Kim, who was recently indicted on charges of violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation), to a fine of 3 million won.

In October of last year, former lawmaker Kim was indicted without detention on charges of defaming President Lee and Deputy Director Kim by posting a post on his SNS that said, "Isn't it like an economic community with Kim Hyun-ji? Otherwise, wouldn't it be possible to have an economic community relationship like that for decades? For example, if they don't share children?"

The Gyeongnam Provincial Party of the Democratic Party of Korea previously reported former lawmaker Kim to the police, saying, "He continued to ignore his responsibilities as a local lawmaker, causing social controversy, tarnishing the honor of citizens, and damaging democratic values."

The prosecutor requested that former lawmaker Kim be sentenced to one year in prison.

The court stated the reason for sentencing, saying, "Despite having a history of receiving leniency from the court for similar crimes, he did not reflect on himself and committed the crime." However, it also "considered the fact that he posted only once, the fact that he suffered disadvantages such as being eliminated from the nomination of his political party due to this incident, and the fact that he acknowledged the crime and showed an attitude of reflection."

Previously, in December 2022, former lawmaker Kim was indicted on charges of (insulting) posting a disparaging post on his social media to the bereaved families of the Itaewon disaster and members of the Korean Freight Workers' Union, and was sentenced to three months in prison with a suspended sentence.

Former lawmaker Kim, who has caused controversy several times with his foul language, applied for nomination in the People Power Party's Changwon constituency (Yangdeok 1 and 2, Synsong 2, Guam 1 and 2, Bongam-dong) ahead of the June 3 local elections in April, but was excluded (cut off) from the primary.