The National Police Agency has announced the arrest of ten individuals suspected of propagating fake news online. These arrests come amidst a backdrop of escalating oil prices, attributed to recent instability in the Middle East. Among the false claims circulated were allegations of 900,000 barrels of crude oil flowing into North Korea.
On Tuesday, the National Police Agency confirmed that “cyber investigation units across metropolitan and provincial police agencies nationwide are probing 38 accounts” linked to disinformation concerning the Middle East conflict, stating that “10 people have been arrested to date.” The arrests are categorized: five individuals were apprehended for spreading misinformation about crude oil shipments to North Korea, and another five for disseminating false claims regarding an emergency financial order, which included scenarios like forced dollar sales and foreign exchange restrictions.
Authorities have issued requests for the removal of posts from all 38 accounts under investigation, with content from 21 of these accounts already having been deleted.
During the ongoing police investigations, some suspects reportedly corrected their posts, issued apologies, or voluntarily removed content around the time they presented themselves at police stations. A police official affirmed, “The National Police Agency will promptly continue investigations into other accounts currently under review,” emphasizing, “We will vigorously counter malicious and organized false information related to the Middle East war that incites social unrest.”
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