FIRST COURT RULING OVER QUARANTINE VIOLATION

[Anchor Lead]

A man in his 20s has been sentenced to four months in prison for breaching the mandatory self-isolation rule. It marks the nation's first such court ruling and conviction since the start of the pandemic.

[Pkg]

Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, where a cluster of over 70 COVID-19 infections had occurred. A 27 year old surnamed Kim who was hospitalized here, was discharged in early April and went into self-isolation at home. But he left home without permission when he had to be isolated for 2 more days. He even turned off his phone and went under the radar but was caught after two days and was transfered to a temporary shelter in Yangju. He escaped from this facility after four hours, but was caught again. He was eventually arrested and indicted on charges of violating the Infectious Diseases Control and Prevention Act. He's now sentenced to 4 months behind bars. The Uijeongbu District Court said the nature of Kim's crime is serious as he visited facilities used by mass public amid the grave pandemic situation and therefore stern punishment is necessary. This marks the first court ruling of its kind since COVID-19 related penalties have been stepped up to a maximum one year in prison.

[Soundbite] SON YOUNG-RAE(CENTRAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT HEADQUARTERS) : "Those under self-isolation are asked to abide by the set rules and other government guidelines."

Kim's mother said they acknowledge his mistake but will appeal to a higher court, claiming the sentence is too harsh.