Police arrest 29 for spreading misinformation about Middle East war, May 18 uprising

Police have arrested 29 people on charges of spreading misinformation — including false claims that crude oil from a strategic petroleum reserve in Ulsan had been sent to North Korea and that North Korean troops were involved in the May 18 pro-democracy uprising — and referred 15 of them to prosecutors.

The Korean National Police Agency's task force on misinformation said Monday it had launched investigations into 191 accounts in total, targeting the spread of false information related to the Middle East war, the May 18 pro-democracy uprising, violations of citizens' voting rights, and the cancellation of performance bonuses at semiconductor companies.

By category, investigations are underway into 38 accounts linked to Middle East war-related misinformation, with 17 people arrested and 11 referred to prosecutors; 74 accounts tied to false claims about the May 18 uprising, with 9 arrested and 3 referred; 67 accounts connected to misinformation about a ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections, with 3 arrested and 1 referred; and 12 accounts related to false reports about the cancellation of performance bonuses at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.

The agency said it would move swiftly to advance ongoing investigations through the task force and "actively respond to malicious and organized misinformation that causes social disorder."

President Lee Jae Myung doubled down on a hard-line stance Thursday, sharing a news article on his X account — formerly Twitter — reporting that police had identified the person behind posts falsely claiming the government would force the sale of dollars amid high exchange rates. "Deliberately spreading false information that causes social chaos and economic harm must be rooted out and severely punished," he said.

Minister of Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung also visited the Korean National Police Agency on April 9 to raise concerns about the spread of misinformation related to the Middle East war. "Spreading fake news in a wartime situation is no different from an act of military rebellion, and allowing it to go unchecked is a dereliction of the state's duty," he said.