**Translation:**
**List of Doctors and Medical Students Not Participating in Collective Action; ‘Thankful Doctors’ List Created and Distributed**
“Need for a trial without detention” Bail request… “Request permission to bring evidence records into the detention center”
– A resigned resident doctor, Jeong Mo, who circulated a blacklist titled ‘Thankful Doctors’ containing personal information of doctors and medical students not participating in collective action in the medical field, is seen moving with the police after finishing a pre-trial detention examination at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 20th. (September 20, 2024/News1 Jang Soo-young)
(Seoul = News1) Reporter Lee Sae-hyun = The resigned resident doctor accused of compiling and distributing a list of doctors and medical students who did not participate in collective action in the medical sector denied the charges in his first trial.
Judge Lee Yong-je of the Seoul Central District Court held the first trial on the 22nd for Jeong Mo, who is charged with violating the law on punishment of stalking crimes.
Jeong is accused of creating and distributing a blacklist containing personal information of residents and medical students who remained or returned to the medical field without participating in collective actions last July. It is understood that Jeong distributed the blacklist a total of 26 times on the medical community’s online platform ‘Medi Staff’ and on Telegram.
Jeong included personal details in the posts such as the victims’ real names, affiliated hospitals, areas of expertise, and universities, sarcastically referring to them as ‘Thankful Doctors.’
Jeong’s lawyer stated, “We acknowledge the objective facts and feel sorry for the resulting harm,” but argued, “It is difficult to legally classify this as a stalking crime.”
The lawyer added, “Stalking must go against the victim’s wishes and instigate anxiety and fear in the victim through specific actions, with persistence as a requirement, which is questionable here,” pointing out that “of the 1100 victims, personal information was disclosed 1-2 times for 485 and only 3 times for 44, so it’s challenging to see it as repeated or ongoing.”
The day before the trial, on the 21st, Jeong requested bail to be tried without being detained.
During the bail hearing held the same day, Jeong’s side argued, “The charge in the indictment is a violation of the stalking law, but this case is vastly different from common stalking crimes,” explaining, “Aside from posting the list, no harm was done to the victims, nor was there any intention to harm fellow doctors.”
However, the prosecution countered, “The amendment to the stalking law introduces punishment provisions for exposing personal information to a third party, classifying this case as third-party online stalking.”
The prosecution argued, “The defendant posted the list to subject victims to criticism, mocked them, and threatened to add anyone not joining collective actions. There was online ‘location pinpointing’ through comments as well, and the victims report severe suffering,” opposing Jeong’s bail request.
After hearing both sides, the court stated it would decide later on the bail matter.
When asked by the court if he had anything to say, Jeong replied, “With evidence records amounting to 7000 pages, it is realistically impossible to bring them into the detention center. It’s common sense that I can’t remember all 300 names. There are many limitations to my defense, but I will attend the trial diligently if permitted.”
The police applied for Jeong’s arrest warrant last September to secure his extradition. The court issued the warrant citing concerns about evidence tampering. After extending the detention period once, the prosecution concluded its investigation and indicted Jeong last month on the 15th.