'드루킹' 댓글조작 공모 혐의 김경수 경남도지사, 1심 징역 2년 실형<br /><br />Gyeongsangnam-do governor Kim Kyoung-soo was sentenced to jail today.<br />Seoul Central District Court found the liberal politician guilty of colluding with a power blogger to manipulate online comment rankings for political purposes.<br /> Yoon Jung-min has the latest. <br /> Kim Kyoung-soo, the current governor of Gyeongsangnam-do Province and former Democratic Party lawmaker, was sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday for allegedly colluding with a blogger to manipulate the rankings of online comments for political purposes.<br />The governor denied the allegations, but the Seoul Central District Court found that he conspired with blogger Kim Dong-won, known by the alias "Druking", to use a software program to rig millions of "likes" or "dislikes" on online comment sections.<br />Kim was detained right after the verdict, but said he cannot accept the ruling and will fight until "the end." He suggested that he would lodge an appeal with a higher court.<br />The court found that Kim colluded with Druking and his accomplices to develop a comment-rigging software program "King Crab,"... and that he took part in opinion-rigging crimes to benefit the ruling Democratic Party ahead of the presidential election in 2017.<br />Kim was also found guilty of promising the position of consul general in Sendai, Japan to one of Druking's accomplices in exchange for his help.<br />For violating the Public Official Election Act, Governor Kim was sentenced to another 10 months in prison suspended for two years.<br />If higher courts uphold the ruling, then the law says Kim will lose his seat as governor and will be replaced by the vice governor in an acting capacity.<br />In another ruling on the same day, Druking -- real name Kim Dong-won -- was sentenced to three years and six months behind bars on charges of on-line comment rigging. Druking was also found guilty of bribery.<br />Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News. <br />
