South Korean court fines presidential candidate Kim for illegal electioneering
Kim was indicted earlier on charges of violating election law for handing out his business card to five janitors at Suseo Station in southern Seoul in May, as a PPP preliminary candidate, a month before the presidential election.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Kim's actions constituted election campaigning and violated 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 offense's relatively minor nature. 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, 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.
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