The defendant shall be innocent.

1. The Defendant is a person who uses a pen name on the Internet portal site “C”.

No person shall slander a candidate (including a person who intends to become a candidate) or his/her spouse, lineal ascendant or descendant, or sibling by openly pointing out facts through a speech, broadcast, newspaper, communications, magazine, poster, propaganda document, or any other means, with the intention of prohibiting him/her from being elected.

피고인은 2012. 8. 22. 서울시 강서구 D에 있는 피고인의 집에서 그곳 컴퓨터를 이용하여 인터넷 포털사이트 다음 홈페이지에 접속한 후 이라는 제목의 한겨레신문 기사 아래에 “F는 온갖 기구 갔다 놓고 자위 하지 안앗겟나..처녀다면,, 뻔한 것 아닌가..생리적인 여자도..그대로 처녀성 보죤 하였겟나..말해 봐..”라는 댓글을 게재한 것을 비롯하여 별지 범죄일람표에 기재된 것과 같이 총 3회에 걸쳐 같은 방법으로 F와 그녀의 직계존속인 G 전 대통령이 성적으로 문란하다는 취지의 댓글을 게재하였다.

As a result, the Defendant slandered F and his lineal ascendants by openly pointing out facts with the aim of preventing the election from being elected by F who want to be a candidate for the 18th presidential election.

2. Determination

A. The phrase “statement of fact” in the main text of Article 251 of the Public Official Election Act refers to a report or statement on specific past or present facts in time and space and its contents can be proved as evidence, as a concept substitute for an expression of opinion, which is a value judgment or evaluation. When distinguishing between whether a statement is a fact or an opinion, it shall be determined in consideration of the ordinary meaning and usage of the language, the possibility of proof, the context in which the given speech was used, the social circumstances in which the expression was made, etc., and the expression of opinion.