"Is the '50% Electricity Bill Bomb' True When Using the Washer and Dryer After Work?"

Strengthening Response to the Proliferation of Fake News Closely Related to Daily Life

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment is strengthening its response to “everyday fake news.”

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has strengthened its response to the fake news claiming that running a washing machine in the evening causes electricity bills to surge by 50% due to the "electricity fee reform." Pixabay

On May 9, the ministry announced plans to establish an “online issue response manual” by next month. A ministry official explained, “For minor fake news, we leave a comment on the post clarifying it's false and request the poster to delete it. For serious fake news, we report it to the authorities and file a complaint. We plan to establish clear standards and procedures for these responses,” adding, “With the increase in fake news, there has been confusion within working departments about how to respond.”

Recently, the prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) has made it easier to produce images and videos, leading to a flood of indiscriminate fake news. In particular, policies related to the ministry that are closely tied to daily life have become primary targets.

A representative example is the fake news surrounding the “electricity fee reform.” Recently, misinformation has spread that running a washing machine in the evening would cause electricity bills to surge by 50% due to changes in the electricity billing system. However, the recent revisions to the electricity billing system applied only to industrial electricity and were unrelated to residential electricity. The “time-of-use tariff system,” which applies different rates depending on the time of day, is also implemented only to a very limited extent for residential use.

Fake news video related to electricity bill reform. YouTube capture

There has also been fake news regarding the enforcement of waste separation regulations. In October last year, a fake persona impersonating a “district office employee with 25 years of experience” appeared, claiming in a widely circulated video that they had seen cases where people were fined KRW 200,000 for throwing ramen or snack wrappers in standard trash bags, KRW 90,000 for discarding tofu containers without properly rinsing them, and KRW 800,000 for throwing away a ballpoint pen. However, it has been confirmed that neither the central nor local governments have recently raised fines for waste separation nor strengthened enforcement.

There have also been instances where government surveys were distorted, causing market confusion. After the outbreak of war in the Middle East, the ministry’s inspection of local governments’ inventories of standard trash bags was spread as a “government fact-finding survey due to raw material shortages,” leading to a temporary panic buying of the bags.

Recently, there have even been smishing (SMS phishing) scams impersonating the ministry. Warning messages have been circulating about violations of the two-shift system for public institution vehicles and the five-shift system for public parking lots, so caution is advised. The ministry has emphasized that it does not notify violations of the shift system via text message, nor does it request personal information, phone calls, or installation of applications.

Meanwhile, ahead of the June 3 local elections, the government is also operating an “AI-manipulated content analysis response system” to identify AI-generated fake news. There will be a zero-tolerance policy for three major election crimes: spreading false or fake news, offering money or entertainment to voters, and public officials violating political neutrality. President Lee Jaemyung has also strongly called for a firm response to fake news.

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