Man gets suspended sentence for self-quarantine violation

SEOUL, June 16 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Tuesday handed a 68-year-old man a suspended sentence for violating coronavirus self-quarantine rules.

The man identified by his surname Kim was arrested on April 14 on charges of leaving his residence twice while he was under a 14-day self-isolation after arriving from the United States.

He was the first in the country to be detained for flouting the self-quarantine rules.

The Seoul Eastern District Court found him guilty of violation of the Infectious Diseases Control and Prevention Act and sentenced him to four months in prison suspended for one year.

"The nature of the offense is not good as even though the defendant received an isolation order, he visited publicly used facilities and heightened the risk of spreading the coronavirus," Judge Park Chang-hee said in the ruling.

But the court considered Kim admitted and regrets his wrongdoing, he added. The prosecution demanded six months in prison.

Kim returned on April 10 from the United States where he visited his mother. The following day, he was caught moving around a southeastern district of Seoul. He was sent back to his residence but was caught again visiting a sauna and a restaurant later in the day.

The judge noted that the defendant posed no danger because he tested negative for COVID-19 just after arriving in the country.

In addition, he had neither a home nor money enough to pay for an adequate place to quarantine, the judge said.

Those who violate self-isolation rules could face up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won (US$8,279).

On May 26, a 27-year-old man was sentenced to four months in prison for violating the rules twice in April.

jjhwang@yna.co.kr
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