Unverified Allegations Raised
Rumors of Witness Bribery
Police Review Legality of Fake News
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Unverified suspicions related to the case of university student Son Jeong-min (22), who went missing at Hangang Park and was later found dead, are spreading online. The police are reviewing the legality of these fake news reports.
On the 23rd, browsing a community site revealed unconfirmed rumors such as "Did the police bribe witnesses?" and "Did friend A commit the crime against Son?" spreading widely.
The Seoul Seocho Police Station secured a witness who claimed to have seen an unidentified man enter the Hangang River around 4:40 a.m. on the day Son went missing, last month on the 25th, and is investigating any connection. However, those spreading rumors claim that the witness was bribed by the police, arguing that it is suspicious that no report was made despite someone entering the water.
The police maintain that bribing witnesses is impossible. Experts also judge that the possibility of the witness lying is slim. Professor Im Myeong-ho of Dankook University’s Department of Psychology explained, "When many people witness an event, silence or delayed reporting to emergency services like 119 often occurs due to the psychology of 'someone else will do it,' known as the bystander effect. Since seven witnesses saw the situation, I believe their testimony is truthful, and the bystander effect likely influenced the failure to report promptly."
Additionally, online claims have surfaced that bloodstains belonging to Son were found at Hangang Park. A media outlet uploaded a video about the case on YouTube, showing what appeared to be bloodstains believed to be Son’s. Starting from this video, unverified rumors such as "A hit Son with a stone" and "A killed Son" spread.
The police investigated nearby bushes and drainage areas near the presumed location of Son’s disappearance for bloodstains but found none belonging to Son or A. No blood reaction was detected at all.
Currently, the police are reviewing the legality of the fake news. Seocho Police Station is verifying whether the fake news spreading on social networking services (SNS) and YouTube constitutes defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act or violations of the Telecommunications Business Act, based on collected materials.
A police official stated, "No complaints or accusations have been filed," adding, "We are conducting legal reviews of posts and videos containing claims judged to be false."
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