Profiler Kwon Il-yong Demands Deletion of Fake News Using His Name in 'Juwangsan Disappearance Case'

Impersonation and Fake News in the "Juwangsan Disappearance Case"

"Strong Legal Action Under Consideration"

Professor Kwon Il-yong, Korea's first profiler, has announced that he will take strong action against impersonation videos that have used his name and image without permission.

On May 20, Professor Kwon mentioned on Instagram that his name was used without authorization in a YouTube video covering the case of an 11-year-old boy, referred to as A, who disappeared in Juwangsan National Park in Cheongsong County, North Gyeongsang Province and was found dead on May 12. He wrote, "Stop broadcasting fake news immediately and delete it."

Professor Kwon Il-yong, Korea's First Profiler

He stated, "Recently, video content produced using my name without permission has been spreading through various online video platforms, including YouTube, as well as social network service (SNS) channels." He pointed out, "In particular, some channels are dealing with recent tragic incidents and accidents, fabricating false information to make it seem as if I personally gave interviews or conducted analyses on these cases, thereby deceiving viewers into believing it is true." He added, "Releasing provocative speculative analyses under my name in situations where the facts of the incident have not been clearly revealed is a serious act of harm that inflicts irreparable pain on the bereaved families." He went on to say, "I deeply regret the behavior of using others' suffering as a means of generating profit."

Professor Kwon also announced plans for legal action against such content. He said, "I have never conducted any prior consultation or interviews with these channels," adding, "Unauthorized use of my portrait and name rights, as well as the dissemination of false information, is a clear criminal act and a grave violation of rights." He continued, "Currently, together with my legal representative, I am collecting channel information and evidence on these videos, and I am considering taking all possible legal measures to respond strongly." He further requested, "If you discover any illegal impersonation videos or channels, please report them actively."

In particular, one of the channels Professor Kwon raised an issue with promoted a video under the title, "The third day of the Juwangsan elementary school student's disappearance... What are the 'strange points' Kwon Il-yong noticed?" The channel advertised the video by saying, "Examining the strange aspects of the Juwangsan disappearance case one by one from the perspective of former profiler Kwon Il-yong."

Meanwhile, the National Forensic Service announced on May 14 that a preliminary autopsy of A's body concluded that the cause of death was presumed to be a fall. It is expected that the final autopsy results will take at least two weeks to a month or more to be released.

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