Student handed 4 million won fine after calling for someone to stab President Lee before election
Published: 29 Jan. 2026, 16:25
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Close-up of a court mallet [GETTY IMAGES BANK]
A university student who posted an online anonymous message calling for someone to stab then–Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae Myung ahead of the election last year has been sentenced to a fine.
The Suwon District Court ruled on Thursday to fine the defendant 4 million won ($2,800), on charges including violating the Public Official Election Act.
Prosecutors had sought a four-month prison sentence during the final hearing on Jan. 13.
The court said the defendant’s actions constituted a threat against a presidential candidate and were, therefore, serious. However, it noted that the defendant deleted the post shortly after uploading it, posted an apology several hours later and admitted to the crime after turning themselves in. The court also considered that there was no actual intent to carry out the act or influence the election.
According to the ruling, the defendant posted the message at around 11 a.m. on May 26 last year on an anonymous university bulletin board using a mobile phone after learning that Lee, then a candidate, would be visiting Ajou University as part of his campaign.
The post read: “If you stab Lee Jae Myung today, I’ll pay. Contact me.”
Lee was scheduled to meet with students at the university to discuss youth policies. The event ended at around 12:15 p.m., about an hour and 10 minutes later, and no disturbance occurred before Lee left the campus.
In their final statement, the defendant said, “I regret what I did. At the time, I didn’t realize how seriously it would come across to the candidate. I will never do it again.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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