Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Woo-young referred on ‘assault’ charge over scuffle; phone-number disclosure not referred

[Financial News] Kim Woo-young of the Democratic Party of Korea, who clashed with People Power Party lawmaker Park Jeong-hun during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee last year, has been referred to the Prosecution Office on an assault charge. The allegation that he violated the Personal Information Protection Act by disclosing Park’s text messages and phone number during a parliamentary audit was not upheld.
According to police and other sources on the 14th, the Seoul Eunpyeong Police Station referred Kim to the Seoul Western Regional Prosecution Office on an assault charge on the 7th of last month.
Kim is suspected of getting into a physical altercation with Park after an argument during a committee meeting last September. People Power Party lawmakers on the committee later filed a police complaint, alleging that Kim had used violence against Park.
The complaint also included an allegation of violating the Personal Information Protection Act. On October 14 last year, during the committee’s parliamentary audit, Kim disclosed a text message he had received from Park and also revealed Park’s phone number.
However, police determined that it would be difficult to substantiate the alleged violation of the Personal Information Protection Act. The reasoning was that, unlike a case in which the party responsible for managing personal information leaks data it holds, merely disclosing a phone number known to someone personally would be difficult to regard as a violation of the law.
Accordingly, police referred only the assault allegation among the charges in the complaint and did not refer the alleged violation of the Personal Information Protection Act.

[email protected] Choi Seung-han Reporter