"Neighborhood Cafe a Shincheonji-Operated Business?"... Excessive 'COVID-19 Fake News' Causes Widespread Harm

Police Uncover 86 Cases of False Manipulated Information and Personal Data Leaks
Malicious and Organized Distribution with Specific Intent
361 False Posts Deleted and Blocked

Fact Check by Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Fake news related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is evolving rapidly. In the early stages of the outbreak, it was limited to information about confirmed cases, but increasingly, malicious and organized dissemination of false manipulated information targeting specific individuals or companies, including doctored photos with intent, impersonation of media outlets, and public institution announcement formats, is occurring, requiring special caution.

According to the National Police Agency on the 15th, police have so far uncovered 86 cases of false manipulated information and personal information dissemination, arresting 121 people. Additionally, investigations are ongoing for 111 cases.

Regarding the production and distribution of false manipulated information, 65 cases involving 89 people were detected. By type of fake news, 28 cases involved claims that confirmed patients visited specific businesses such as restaurants or cafes, 22 cases involved visits to specific medical facilities like hospitals or public health centers, and 15 cases named specific individuals as confirmed patients or contacts. Notably, some false information claimed that certain individuals or businesses were linked to Shincheonji Jesus Church (Shincheonji).

Of particular concern is the increase in malicious and organized dissemination of false manipulated information compared to the early days of COVID-19. Individuals and businesses targeted by fake news have suffered enormous damage. For example, a domestic bakery saw its sales plummet by over 90% due to fake news linking it to Shincheonji. In Wonju, Gangwon Province, six suspects were arrested for spreading false information via internet "mom cafes" and social networking services (SNS) that seven businesses, including specific cafes, were operated by Shincheonji.

Fake news impersonating the government and media outlets has also been circulated. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is investigating a case involving the use of a news image to spread false information such as "Under an emergency administrative order, Joseonjok (ethnic Koreans in China) can obtain resident IDs and voting rights after only one month of residence." The Sejong Metropolitan Police Agency is also investigating the dissemination of eight false claims on SNS under the title "Summary after attending a meeting with pharmaceutical company CEOs hosted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance related to COVID-19."

Regarding personal information leaks and dissemination, 21 cases involving 32 people were detected. Most involved leaked photos of internal reports or text messages from public institutions, totaling 20 cases, and documents presumed to be lists of Shincheonji members were also circulated. Such personal information leaks cause significant psychological distress to the victims. A daycare teacher whose personal information was leaked expressed suffering, saying, "I was afraid it would affect my family, and I developed social phobia because it became difficult to meet others," according to the police.

In addition, the police have assigned 49 dedicated monitoring personnel across regional police agencies to focus on baseless allegations related to COVID-19, dissemination of false movement routes of confirmed cases, and leaks of related personal information. For 361 posts confirmed as false manipulated information, requests for deletion or blocking have been made to the Korea Communications Standards Commission and site operators.

The police plan to continue a strong response, including considering detention investigations for malicious and organized production and dissemination of false manipulated information. The National Police Agency emphasized, "False manipulated information is showing increasingly malicious and organized patterns. We will mobilize all police forces to strictly crack down and pursue producers and distributors to the end for legal action."

They also urged, "Acts of spreading false manipulated information without even minimal verification out of mere curiosity or imitation, and leaking or disseminating personal information of confirmed patients or contacts out of concern only for the safety of family or acquaintances, can also be severely punished, so special caution is required."

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