KIM KYOUNG-SOO BACK IN JAIL

[Anchor Lead]

Former governor of Gyeongsangnam-do Province, Kim Kyoung-soo, is back in jail for his involvement in an online opinion rigging scheme ahead of the 2017 presidential election. Kim continues to claim he's innocent. The province’s election commission will convene a meeting on Tuesday and decide whether to hold a gubernatorial by-election.

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Kim Kyoung-soo was again incarcerated at Changwon Prison on Monday, five days after the Supreme Court last week sentenced him to two years for an online opinion rigging scheme. In front of the prison, Kim apologized for not fulfilling his term, adding he would failthfully follow the court’s ruling.

[Soundbite] Kim Kyoung-soo(Ex-Gyeongsangnam-do Gov.) : "I make it clear that the truth cannot be changed. Now it has been denied, but I believe that the truth will certainly be discovered someday."

Before leaving for the prison, the former governor made phone calls to Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki and Land Minister Noh Hyeong-ouk. He asked them to push for a new airport on Gadeok-do Island and a mega city encompassing Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongsangnam-do Province, as well as an undersea tunnel linking Namhae and Yeosu. In the first trial, Kim received a jail term and was arrested at the court. But after spending 77 days in prison, he was released on bail. Now he must serve the remaining term subtracting the 77 days from the sentence of two years handed down by the top court. He also cannot run for election for five years after completing his time in jail. Main opposition People Power Party Floor Leader Kim Gi-hyeon called for an extension of a special prosecutor team’s probe into the opinion rigging scheme. The ruling Democratic Party harshly criticized former Prosecutor General and leading presidential hopeful Yoon Seok-youl for demanding President Moon Jae-in apologize for Kim Kyung-soo’s guilty verdict. Meanwhile, the Gyeongsangnam-do Province Election Commission will convene a meeting on Tuesday to determine whether or not to hold a gubernatorial by-election.