A 50-Year-Old Self-Employed Person Booked for Spreading False Information on SNS Claiming Lee Jae-myung Is a Shincheonji Member

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] A self-employed man in his 50s who spread false information claiming that Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, is a member of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji), was arrested by the police.

The Suwon Western Police Station announced on the 9th that they have booked Mr. A (53) without detention on charges of violating the Information and Communications Network Act and are investigating the case.

Mr. A is accused of spreading false information on social media on the 26th of last month, stating, "Lee Jae-myung is said to be a member of the Shincheonji Gwacheon branch. That’s why he didn’t listen to the government and went in first to erase his own list."

During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated that he posted the message as a joke after hearing what customers visiting his store were saying.

The police plan to complete the investigation of Mr. A and forward the case to the prosecution on the 10th.

Earlier, on the 28th of last month, Gyeonggi Province stated, "'It is not true that Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, is a Shincheonji member,'" adding, "We will strongly respond to false information that undermines administrative trust and harms residents." The province also added that it requested the police to investigate on behalf of Governor Lee on the same day.

Regarding the related comments, Governor Lee posted on his Facebook on the 1st, saying, "Producing and spreading fake news is an enemy of democracy and a representative evil that must be eradicated," and strongly criticized, "Just as mold withers under a ray of sunlight, the lives of those who engage in low-quality politics through fake news will not be long."

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