[Exclusive] "Wuhan Pneumonia Confirmed Patient Visit?" Fake News Victims Submit Complaints Against Hotel and Plastic Surgery Clinic

Distribution of Lists of Businesses Visited by Confirmed Cases on SNS Around the 28th
Seoul Gangnam-gu A Hotel and B Plastic Surgery Clinic Sued for Spreading False Information

[Asia Economy Reporters Byungdon Yoo, Jeongyun Lee] Fake news surrounding the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) is spreading like a virus, causing numerous cases of damage. Companies harmed by fake news are also increasingly submitting complaints to investigative agencies.

On the 30th, the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul announced that on the afternoon of the 29th, Hotel A located in Gangnam-gu submitted a complaint requesting punishment for those spreading false information.

The hotel claimed it suffered damages due to false information that a novel coronavirus-infected person had visited. However, some parts of the complaint were incorrect, leading the police to reject it, and the hotel plans to resubmit the complaint.

A representative of Hotel A said, "It is true that we submitted a complaint against those spreading false information," but added, "We cannot disclose detailed information."

It was also confirmed that Plastic Surgery Clinic B, located near Sinsa Station in Gangnam, submitted a similar complaint to investigative authorities.

The fake news mentioning the hotel and the plastic surgery clinic spread on social media under the title "Urgent Information." It included seven businesses located in Gangnam-gu: two restaurants, two convenience stores, two daily necessities shops, and one clothing store, all allegedly part of the infected person's movement route. Additionally, it claimed that three employees of Hotel A were newly infected.

However, these businesses are not included in the movement route of the third confirmed patient as reported by the media.

Plastic Surgery Clinic B stated in a press release, "No confirmed Wuhan pneumonia patients have visited our clinic, and after confirming with the Gangnam-gu Public Health Center's infection team, it was verified that there are zero confirmed cases in the jurisdiction," adding, "We will take strong legal action without leniency against malicious dissemination of false information."