“An unjust death, XXX...” The fate of the troll who mocked victims of the Itaewon disaster

[Financial News] An online troll indicted on charges of defaming victims of the Itaewon disaster by making false statements about them was fined 3 million won.
According to Herald Economy on the 12th, Judge Kim Su-jeong of the single-judge panel of Criminal Division 2 at the Yeoju Branch of Suwon District Court sentenced A, who had been tried on charges of defaming the deceased, to a fine of 3 million won in late August.
On October 30, 2022, the day after the Itaewon disaster occurred, A left comments on a related news article, including “An unjust death, XXX...” and “You went there because you wanted to XX XX, anyway.”
Investigators concluded that A had publicly defamed the victims of the Itaewon disaster by stating false facts and indicted A under the Criminal Act on charges of defaming the deceased.
The court that heard the case also found that the charge against A was made out.
The panel reviewed the circumstances surrounding the Itaewon disaster, investigation findings and court rulings concerning those involved in the inadequate response, including the Yongsan Police Station chief, and other matters, describing them as “underlying facts.”
It went on to state, “A publicly stated false facts, thereby defaming the victims of the Itaewon disaster.”
Explaining its reasons for the sentence, the court said, “We took into account that this was an isolated incident, that A was a first-time offender, and that A was remorseful.”
The first-instance ruling is now final, as neither the prosecutor nor A appealed.
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