Man Arrested for Spreading False Information About 'COVID-19 Suspect in Changwon'

Statement "As a Joke" in Police Investigation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency announced on the 4th that they have apprehended and are investigating a man in his 20s who was the first to spread fake news claiming that a suspected case of novel coronavirus infection occurred in Changwon.

According to the police, Mr. A is suspected of distributing a message on KakaoTalk on the 28th of last month stating, "A suspected case of novel coronavirus infection has occurred in Jinhae-gu, Changwon." The message spread by Mr. A contained detailed information such as "date and place of occurrence, personal details of the suspected infected person, circumstances of occurrence, and measures taken," resembling an official document. However, all of this information was confirmed to be false. Due to the fake message, the local health center was reportedly overwhelmed with phone calls to the point of operational paralysis.

Mr. A was caught after the police traced the KakaoTalk messages backward. The investigation revealed that Mr. A changed the location name in a message he received from an acquaintance to Jinhae-gu, Changwon, and then forwarded it to his friends. Mr. A reportedly told the police, "I did it as a joke without much thought," and "I didn't expect it to spread this much."

In Taean, Chungnam, the police also launched an investigation related to a document titled "Report on Novel Coronavirus Infection" that was posted on an online community on the 31st of last month. This document exposed the names, partial addresses, workplaces, and ages of the daughter and son-in-law of the 6th confirmed patient. The police believe this document is likely an internal report from Taean County and are examining the leak route.

A police official stated, "The production and distribution of false and manipulated information online cause public anxiety and social confusion, so we are conducting continuous monitoring," adding, "We will respond strictly by punishing not only the original spreaders but also intermediate distributors if the offense is serious."

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