Seoul Central District Court sentenced Kim Sae-ui, head of the Election Irregularities Monitoring Group, and lawyer Ga Se-yeon to 200,000 won fines each for violating personal data protection laws during election campaigns.
Case Details
Judge Jang Soo-jin of the court’s Criminal Division 7 imposed the penalties on October 16. The ruling targeted the misuse of personal information gathered from group subscribers, which officials deployed in promotional efforts for 20 major city council candidates.
Recruitment and Data Collection
Kim Sae-ui launched recruitment in March 2022 by sharing online links in communities, inviting supporters to join the “Election Irregularities Monitoring Group.” The initiative drew a record number of citizen sign-ups.
Following peak participation, Kim issued a press release urging conservative media outlets and election candidates to enlist joiners as campaign staff. The release included full statements from Kim and exposed related blog links, compromising subscriber data.
Investigation Findings
Prosecutors determined that personal details from group members ended up on Kim’s phone. Analysis confirmed the data fueled election promotions, breaching collection purpose restrictions.
Kim denied intent but offered clarifications during proceedings. The court rejected defenses, highlighting the data’s shift from monitoring to campaign use.
Court’s Rationale
The bench declared, “Diverting personal information collected solely for Election Irregularities Monitoring Group recruitment to self-promote candidacies and solicit support exceeds permissible boundaries and constitutes illegal activity.”
This decision underscores strict enforcement of data privacy amid election activities.
