Following the attack on Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, the police have announced a strict investigation policy regarding the rampant spread of heinous crime threats and fake news online.
The National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency stated on the 5th, "We will actively investigate acts of announcing heinous crimes against unspecified large groups including key figures on information and communication networks with high social impact, as well as spreading false information related to specific individuals."
The National Investigation Headquarters explained, "Considering the seriousness of these acts that increase public anxiety and deepen social confusion, we will actively apply applicable punishment provisions such as threats, attempted murder, obstruction of official duties by deception under the Criminal Act, and defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act. We plan to promptly start investigations centered on cyber investigation units of provincial police agencies nationwide, fully mobilizing investigative techniques necessary to identify and arrest suspects, as well as international cooperation capabilities with overseas investigative agencies."
Woo Jong-su, head of the National Investigation Headquarters, said, "Posts announcing heinous crimes and posting false information online are serious crimes threatening the social community. We will respond as strictly as possible within the scope permitted by law to ensure the public can feel safe."
According to the police, on the day after the attack on Lee, the 3rd, a post predicting Lee’s murder was uploaded on the country’s largest online community.
The poster is known to have changed IP addresses and posted multiple times before deleting the posts. The police are currently tracking the poster.
On the day of the attack, a post threatening to kill Han Dong-hoon, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, was uploaded on an internet site.
The police urgently arrested a man in his 40s on the morning of the 3rd at his residence in Usan-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, on charges of threats. The police applied for a pre-arrest warrant, but the prosecution dismissed it.
Online, posts and videos have also appeared claiming that the attack on Lee was staged, that he received special treatment during the treatment process, and that the weapon used was a wooden chopstick.
The Democratic Party’s National Communication Committee filed a review request with the Korea Communications Standards Commission for eight videos from six YouTube channels spreading false information related to the attack on Lee.
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