A woman in her 50s has been arrested after spreading false claims on social media naming prominent politicians and accusing them of serious crimes.
The Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station said Saturday it had apprehended the woman, identified only as A, 55, on charges of defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, and detained her on Friday.
A is accused of posting false claims three times between August and September 2024 on her social media accounts, alleging that specific politicians — including former party leaders and floor leaders — had committed murder, sex crimes and corruption.
The posts included claims that one lawmaker had used drugs and killed a person at a prostitution establishment, that another had accepted tens to hundreds of billions of won in bribes, and that a third had sexually assaulted dozens of people.
Police launched the investigation after receiving complaints from the political parties to which the named lawmakers belong.
A police official said authorities would "continue to strictly crack down on the spread of false information that disrupts community order and causes social conflict and confusion."
betterj@heraldcorp.com
