Lawmaker sentenced to suspended term for using tear gas in Assembly

A district court in Seoul on Feb. 19 sentenced Rep. Kim Sun-dong to one year in prison suspended for two years for denonating a tear gas canister in the National Assembly to block the passage of a free trade deal struck with the United States.

Kim of the main opposition Democratic United Party was indicted on charges of releasing a tear gas bomb in the Assembly's main chamber to thwart the ruling party's attempt to put the South Korea-U.S. free trade pact to a vote in a parliamentary plenary session in November 2011. At that time, Kim belonged to the Democratic Labor Party.

If the sentence is upheld by the Supreme Court, Kim will be deprived of his parliamentary seat.

After the ruling, Kim told reporters that he would appeal the decision to a higher court.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com