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| A court has found a man in his 20s guilty of violating self-isolation quarantine rules, in the first ruling of its kind in South Korea. |
By Park Si-soo
A court has found a man in his 20s guilty of violating self-isolation quarantine rules, in the first ruling of its kind in South Korea that has waged a protracted fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Judge Chung Eun-young at a district court in Uijeongbu City made the ruling on Tuesday, ordering the accused, 27, be imprisoned for four months.
The man, surnamed Kim, was indicted last month after breaking the rules twice in April.
Early in the month, he was ordered to stay at his home in Uijeongbu for two weeks because a coronavirus cluster infection was confirmed at a general hospital where he had received treatment.
But he defied the rules and went out on April 14, two days before the isolation period ended. He was caught and taken to a state-designated public shelter in Yangju, where he was caught trying to flee again on April 16.
"He has no criminal record of this kind, but the nature of his crime was very bad," Judge Chung said. "The accused said he had violated the rules because the isolated life was simply so boring and stuffy. Nevertheless, it was obvious that the accused's behavior had put the safety of our community at grave risk."
According to court documents, Kim visited crowded places and drank alcohol at a bar during the self-isolation period.
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