A 20-something jobless person was given a suspended prison sentence by a Seoul court on Wednesday for flouting the mandatory self-quarantine rule aimed at containing the new coronavirus.

The Seoul Northern District Court sentenced the 28-year-old, whose identity was withheld, to an imprisonment of four months, suspended for two years, and a fine of 500,000 won ($418) for violating the authorities' two-week self-quarantine order by leaving his or her designated residence four times without permission in April.

The accused was ordered to self-quarantine at home for 14 days after returning to South Korea on April 2 from Indonesia, where the person engaged in job-seeking activities for about two months.

The person allegedly cited economic hardship as the reason for breaching the isolation order, saying the departures from home were to receive some assistance from acquaintances.

The court said it took the defendant's economic difficulties and negative results in the COVID-19 test into consideration in determining the sentence, though it added the breach of the quarantine rule should be denounced.

In the previous hearing, prosecutors demanded an imprisonment of eight months and a fine of 3 million won for the accused.

Under the Infectious Diseases Control and Prevention Act, revised on April 5, those who breach self-quarantine rules could face up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won. (Yonhap)