Warrant Issued for YouTuber Pretending to Be a COVID-19 Patient on Subway

Police to Crack Down Strongly on Fake News and False Information about Novel Coronavirus

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Yoseop] A warrant for arrest has been requested for a man in his 20s who pretended to be infected with the novel coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia) on the Busan subway, filmed a video, and uploaded it to YouTube.

Busan Bukbu Police Station announced on the 8th that they have requested a pre-arrest warrant for YouTuber A on charges of obstruction of business.

A is accused of suddenly coughing on the Busan Subway Line 3 train around 4:30 p.m. on the 30th of last month, pretending to be a novel coronavirus patient by saying, "I came from Wuhan. It is pneumonia. Everyone, stay away from me," and spreading false information.

Passengers on board at the time were startled and avoided the area, causing a commotion.

After getting off the subway, A filmed a video saying, "I am normal now. No one will know I did something strange on the subway," which drew criticism from netizens. The video has since been deleted.

Moreover, A also filmed a video of himself collapsing in the middle of a busy street as if he were infected and uploaded it online.

A, who introduced himself as a member of the online community site 'Ilgan Best Storage,' commonly known as Ilbe, voluntarily appeared on the 6th after the police investigation began.

A reportedly told the police, "I did it because I wanted to become famous on YouTube."

The police plan to take strict measures considering public anxiety even for minor pranks related to the novel coronavirus.

A police official said, "We will continue to crack down strongly on fake news and the spread of false information related to the novel coronavirus."

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