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Two years in prison for Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo, who was handed over to trial for being involved in a case of manipulating public opinion in druking comments just before the last presidential election, was sentenced to two years. Governor Kim has lost his position as governor, and the process of re-incarceration is due soon.



Reporter Won Jong-jin reported.



<Reporter> The



Supreme Court confirmed today (21st), Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo's second trial, which sentenced him to two years in prison, judging him guilty of manipulating comments and not guilty of violating the Public Official Election Act.



The court ruled that there was nothing wrong with the lower court's judgment that Governor Kim conspired with Kim Dong-won, 'Drooking', to manipulate comments in the last presidential election.



Governor Kim claimed that he was unaware of the existence of 'King Crab', a comment manipulation program, but the Supreme Court did not admit this.



However, the court found that the charge of violating the Public Official Election Act that Governor Kim offered the post of Consul General in Sendai to Druking Kim Dong-won in exchange for commenting in the local elections after the presidential election was acquitted.



It is true that Governor Kim proposed the post of Consul General in Sendai, but he accepted the second trial's judgment that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that this was related to local elections.



[Heo Ik-beom/Special Prosecutor: It is a punishment for the act of politicians using private organizations to participate in the election campaign by manipulating public opinion on the Internet… ]



Immediately after the sentencing, Governor Kim expressed his position that he would endure the part of the Supreme Court ruling, but that the truth of his innocence would not change.



[Kim Kyung-soo/Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do: I will fully bear the part I have to endure. However, finding the truth through the courts is blocked by a wall, but that does not change the truth.]



Governor Kim, who has been sentenced to imprisonment, is expected to be imprisoned in Changwon Prison, which is under the jurisdiction of his residence.



Governor Kim will also be barred from running for election for five years after the two-year sentence is over.