On the day of the 12·3 Martial Law declaration, two individuals, including Heo, a reporter for Sky Daily, who reported that martial law troops had arrested Chinese spies at the National Election Commission’s Election Training Institute, have been handed over to the prosecution.
The Cyber Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on July 10 that Heo and one other individual were referred without detention on charges of obstruction of official duties by fraudulent means and violation of the Framework Act on Telecommunications.
They are accused of obstructing the official duties of the National Election Commission by spreading false news articles.
On January 16, Heo reported that “on the day of martial law, 99 Chinese nationals at the Election Training Institute in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, were transferred to a U.S. military base in Japan via the U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek Port.” Immediately after the article was published, both U.S. Forces Korea and the National Election Commission refuted the report, stating it was “groundless.”
A police official stated, “We will continue to conduct strict investigations into similar fake news online in the future.”
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