Jeonnam Police Arrest 30-Year-Old Man Posting Suicide Companion Recruitment on SNS

Do Not Post Suicide-Inducing Information on the Internet.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] In 2019, the "Act on Suicide Prevention and the Culture of Respect for Life" (hereinafter referred to as the "Suicide Prevention Act") was amended to establish punishment regulations for those who distribute suicide-inducing information through information and communication networks.

The Jeonnam Police Agency announced on the 5th that they arrested A (37), who posted suicide-inducing information recruiting suicide companions online, and referred him to the prosecution on charges of violating the "Suicide Prevention Act."

The police judged that the post constituted illegal harmful information and requested the Korea Communications Standards Commission to delete and block it. At the same time, through international cooperative investigations, they analyzed data received from the SNS operator and arrested A.

According to the police investigation, A reportedly stated that he wrote and posted such a message out of frustration after experiencing repeated unfortunate events recently.

Moon Sang-sang, head of the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit, said, "Posting messages recruiting suicide companions on SNS, etc., carries a high risk of inducing others to commit suicide, so special caution is necessary."

He added, "We ask the public to report any illegal harmful information related to suicide encountered while using the internet to the police or relevant departments, agencies, or service providers."

The Jeonnam police are cooperating with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, local governments, the Korea Communications Standards Commission, and others to eradicate various suicide-inducing information. They are also actively responding to illegal harmful information posted on overseas SNS through smooth international cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies and internet service providers.