The court ordered a fine of 1 million won to two men who made hate speech related to Corona 19 to a second-generation multicultural family on the way.
On the 9th, the Incheon District Court issued a summary order of a fine of 1 million won each to A and B, men in their 50s, who were charged with insults. They called “Hey Corona!” to Kim, who was on his way home from a convenience store in Incheon around 11 pm last October. Kim was the second generation of a multicultural family born to a Bangladeshi father and a Korean mother. Mr. Kim protested, but they continued remarks such as “Investigate whether they are illegal immigrants” and “Isn’t it a group (group) tackling Koreans?”
Earlier, JTBC reported on Kim’s case on the 5th of last month. In an interview, Kim recalled the situation at the time, saying, “It was scary and it felt like my self-esteem was falling to the floor.” “The men cursed and pushed me, so I had to report it to the police,” he said. “Even though I was born and raised in Korea, there are many cases of discrimination in everyday life because of my dark skin,” he added.
〈Photo=JTBC Newsroom Capture〉As of yet, there are virtually no rules that can directly sanction racism and hate speech caused by COVID-19 under the current law. Therefore, under the Criminal Code, the illegality of the statement cannot but be judged on the basis of insults or defamation. Attorney Lee Hyun-seo (Hwawoo Public Interest Foundation), who is in charge of Kim’s defense, said, “This court’s decision is the first case in which hate speech against migrants, etc., is recognized as an insult.”
