Conservative YouTuber charged with insulting Moon

INCHEON, Sept. 7 (Yonhap) -- The prosecution indicted a conservative YouTuber on Wednesday for insulting former President Moon Jae-in and his wife during raucous rallies outside Moon's private home.

The 43-year-old man, Ahn Jeong-kweon, was also charged with violating election laws by slandering Lee Jae-myung, the then presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party, ahead of the March 9 presidential election.

Ahn was arrested Monday by the Incheon District Prosecutors Office.

The far-right activist is accused of insulting the Moon couple by swearing viciously 48 times using a loudspeaker during a total of seven protest rallies in May outside their private residence in Yangsan, 309 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

He broadcast the events live on YouTube, for which he allegedly received considerable donations from supporters.

Moon's side sued Ahn in May.

Ahn is also accused of smearing Lee while broadcasting on the internet 13 times between late September and early March before the presidential election.

An official of Ahn's online broadcasting company was also indicted on the same charge without detention.

Lee, now the DP chairman, was defeated in the election by Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party.

Ahn made headlines in July when it was known that he was invited to the inauguration ceremony of President Yoon in May and that his sister was working at the presidential office at that time. She resigned soon after the news broke.

Ahn had already been indicted 15 times between August 2020 and April this year on charges that included defamation and insult.
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