Gangnam-gu Requests Investigation into Fake News on COVID-19 Movement Routes

Imperial Palace Hotel, Grand Plastic Surgery Clinic, Sinnonhyeon Daiso, etc. Receive Punishment Requests from Businesses Harmed by False Information and Report to Police... "Request to Refrain from Spreading False Information Causing Social Unrest"

Jung Soon-kyun, Mayor of Gangnam District

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jung Soon-gyun) requested an investigation by the Seoul Gangnam Police Station on the 30th regarding the creators and distributors of ‘fake news’ containing the names of specific local businesses under the title ‘Movement Path of the Third Confirmed Case of the Novel Coronavirus,’ which has been widely circulated online.

This measure by Gangnam-gu aims to prevent unnecessary social anxiety caused by ‘fake news’ related to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and to stop innocent victims or affected businesses from suffering damages.

Within Gangnam-gu, after a Korean resident (54) living in Wuhan, China was confirmed as a case on the 26th, and the movement path of the confirmed case was announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Gangnam-gu on the 27th, ‘fake news’ listing eight business names completely different from the facts has been created and widely spread, mainly among Gangnam residents.

Gangnam-gu received requests for punishment from falsely accused businesses suffering damages, including Imperial Palace Hotel, Grand Plastic Surgery Clinic, and Daiso in Sinnonhyeon, which were listed as visited places in the ‘fake news,’ and filed a complaint with the police.

The district additionally confirmed close contacts at Hanilkwan on Apgujeong-ro (2 persons) and Bonjuk on Dosan-daero (1 person) by tracking the testimony of the third confirmed case (54), CCTV footage, and credit card usage locations.

The confirmed case was finally verified to have visited 14 locations within the district, including Globi Plastic Surgery Clinic (Apgujeong-dong), Hotel Newv (Yeoksam-dong), GS25 (Hangang Jamwon), restaurants, and pharmacies.

As of the 30th, the 11 contacts within Gangnam-gu and others who met the third confirmed case have shown no abnormalities through daily monitoring, and all 14 visited businesses in the district have been disinfected, indicating no risk of infection.

The coronavirus generally dies off naturally within 24 to 48 hours.

District Mayor Jung Soon-gyun stated, “Even if a business was visited by the confirmed case, once disinfection has been carried out, there is absolutely no risk of further infection, so people can visit without worry,” adding, “There is no need to be anxious or avoid visiting due to being misled by fake news.”

Gangnam-gu urged people to refrain from spreading unverified information online, as the spread of ‘fake news’ related to the novel coronavirus could cause significant social anxiety.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.