Gyeongbuk Police Arrest Man in His 30s for Spreading 'Fake News'... 19 Cases Deleted and Blocked

Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency building.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] A man in his 30s who spread false information that a suspected COVID-19 patient was being tested at a hospital in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, has been arrested by the police.

On the 14th, according to the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency, the Gyeongsan Police Station booked A (32) on charges of obstruction of business and sent him to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment. A is accused of spreading false fabricated information stating, "A suspected COVID-19 patient is being tested at OO Hospital in Gyeongsan, and the emergency room is scheduled to be closed."

In addition, the Gyeongbuk police deleted and blocked 19 cases of fake news through the operation of cyber investigation monitoring personnel. For 16 cases of fake news such as "There are two confirmed Wuhan pneumonia patients in Gyeongju" and "The reason Wuhan pneumonia is a sexually transmitted disease," they requested deletion and blocking from the Korea Communications Standards Commission, and 3 cases were voluntarily deleted.

Furthermore, the Gyeongbuk police are conducting internal and external investigations on 2 cases of fake news. A police official said, "The act of spreading fake news spreads public anxiety, and in some cases, obstructs others' work and causes significant disruption to livelihoods," and stated that they will respond strictly.

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