Former presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo fined 500,000 won for election law violation
Seoul court rules handing out business cards at Suseo Station constituted illegal campaigning as preliminary candidate
Quick Look
- A Seoul court fined former presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo 500,000 won for violating election law by handing out business cards to janitors at Suseo Station in May 2025 during his preliminary candidate period.
- The court ruled this constituted illegal election campaigning, rejecting his argument that he was merely greeting workers.
- Under the Public Official Election Act, preliminary candidates are barred from handing out business cards past ticket gates of transit stations.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Kim Moon-soo was a prominent conservative candidate who won the PPP nomination for the 2025 presidential election but lost to President Lee Jae Myung of the Democratic Party. The election law violation occurred during his preliminary candidate period when he was actively seeking party nomination.
SEOUL, April 24 (Yonhap) -- A court on Friday fined former presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) 500,000 won (US$337) for violating the election law in the lead up to last year's presidential race. Kim was earlier indicted on charges of violating the election law by handing out his business card to five janitors at Suseo Station in southern Seoul in May as a preliminary candidate of the PPP, a month before the presidential election. The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Kim's actions amounted to election campaigning and a violation of the election law, rejecting his argument that he had simply greeted the workers. Under the Public Official Election Act, preliminary candidates are barred from handing out their business cards or soliciting support past the ticket gates of bus terminals, train stations and airports. While prosecutors had sought a fine of 1 million won, the court noted the relatively minor nature of the offense. By law, those fined 1 million won or more for election law violations are barred from running for office for five years. Kim, a former labor minister and a former governor of Gyeonggi Province, went on to win the PPP's nomination for the presidential election but ultimately lost to now President Lee Jae Myung of the Democratic Party.
Open Questions
- Whether Kim will appeal the court's decision
- If the fine could affect any future political candidacy
