'Kim Keon-hee sexual favors allegation' - Kim Yong-min fined 7 million won in first trial

Political commentator Kim Yong-min, formerly of the "I'm a Petty-Minded Creep" (Nakkumsu) podcast, has been fined 7 million won in the first trial after being accused of raising allegations of sexual favors involving First Lady Kim Keon-hee.

Political commentator Kim Yong-min [Yonhap News file photo. Redistribution and DB prohibited]

On the 28th, the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 13 (Presiding Judge Jang Seok-jun) handed down the sentence to Kim, who was indicted on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act and defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

The court ruled, "The defendant defamed Yoon Suk Yeol and Kim Keon-hee and influenced a fair election by posting content on Facebook that included false information disadvantageous to Yoon Suk Yeol." The court further stated, "Despite having a duty to provide fair commentary as someone who has worked as a journalist for a considerable time, the defendant disregarded these social expectations and his responsibilities as a journalist, and failed to verify the facts, making him highly deserving of social censure."

The court added, "The crime was committed just one week before the 20th presidential election, and it appears it could have influenced the election. Despite this, the defendant denied the charges, showed no signs of sincere remorse, and has not been forgiven by the victims."

Kim is accused of posting on Facebook in March 2022 that "it is strongly suspected that Lee Jae-myung’s competitor, Yoon Suk Yeol, received sexual favors from Kim Keon-hee in exchange for various favors in investigations and receiving gifts, including meat, while working as a prosecutor."

The court determined that the content of Kim's post was false and intended to slander the victims, citing various evidence, including the fact that at the time of the alleged events involving First Lady Kim Keon-hee, former President Yoon Suk Yeol was working at the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office and was not in a position to exert undue influence on the investigation of the case. Yonhap News