Court fines photojournalist $3,500 for unauthorized trip to cover Ukraine war
A district court has fined a photojournalist 5 million won ($3,500) for illegally traveling to Ukraine in 2022 to cover the country's war with Russia, legal sources said Friday. The Goyang branch of the Uijeongbu District Court found 46-year-old Jang Jin-young guilty of violating the Passport Act on Wednesday for the trip to Ukraine in March 2022, according to the sources and civic group…
On June 28, 2023, photojournalist Jang Jin-young appeared at the Uijeongbu District Court's Goyang Branch in Gyeonggi Province for his first criminal trial. He faced charges related to violating the Passport Act for his unauthorized trip to Ukraine in March 2022, as per legal sources. The Goyang branch of the Uijeongbu District Court ruled in favor of the prosecution on Wednesday, fining Jang 5 million won (approximately $3,500) for the breach.
Jang, who is 46 years old, was found guilty of traveling to Ukraine without obtaining an exemption from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This action came amidst Ukraine being placed on South Korea's travel ban list following Russia's invasion of the country in February 2022. The court emphasized that while press freedom is important, it should not compromise the personal safety of individuals in a conflict zone.
Jang's legal counsel announced their intention to appeal the decision, contending that the exemptions provided by the ministry do not extend to freelance journalists.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
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