▲ YouTube video spreading false claims that "Election Commission staff were smuggled out in police uniforms" / Provided by Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency
A YouTube channel operator has been apprehended by police for spreading false information online regarding the "ballot counting station blockade protests" in Seoul, which began following a shortage of ballot papers during the June 3 local elections.
The Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency’s Cyber Crime Investigation Unit announced today (June 26) that they have booked the YouTuber, identified as a person in their 40s surnamed A, without detention on charges of violating the Telecommunications Business Act.
A is accused of uploading two videos to their YouTube channel in mid-June, claiming that police had dressed National Election Commission (NEC) staff trapped inside the Jamsil ballot counting station in Songpa-gu in police uniforms to smuggle them out, only to be caught by protesters.
Investigations revealed that the videos posted by A reached 2.27 million views, with 7,600 comments on each, causing the false claims to spread rapidly online.
However, verification confirmed that the individuals A identified as NEC staff were, in fact, active-duty police officers.
The police discovered these illegal activities during online monitoring and launched an investigation, eventually apprehending A, who resides in Gyeongnam, recently.
During police questioning, A admitted to the crime, stating, "I posted the videos to generate advertising revenue, knowing that the information was false."
An official from the Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency stated, "We will strictly investigate acts that cause public confusion by spreading malicious, fabricated information, taking advantage of national chaos such as the infringement of citizens' voting rights."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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