Minister Kim Jung-kwan of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources has taken a hard-line response by filing criminal complaints against YouTubers over the online "Ulsan 900,000 Barrel strategic oil inflow to North Korea" claim.
According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) on the 1st, the Minister filed complaints with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency the previous day against the operators of the YouTube channels "Jeon Hangil News," "Jeolla-do Right Turn," and "TV Jayu Ilbo." The alleged charges are defamation by alleging false facts under the Criminal Act, obstruction of business due to the dissemination of false information, and violations of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
Earlier, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) stated in official materials that the allegation was completely untrue. Nevertheless, as related claims spread mainly online, it moved to take legal action.
The Minister said, "Acts of exploiting a national crisis for personal or political gain can never be tolerated," and added, "Because fake news is a serious crime that undermines social order and hinders the nation's efforts to overcome the crisis, we will respond strictly and decisively by using every measure available."
The controversy was triggered when it became known that overseas corporations Company A had sold abroad about 900,000 barrels of internationally co-stockpiled crude oil that had been stored at the Ulsan oil stockpiling base. Afterward, unverified claims emerged on some online communities and YouTube channels that the volume had gone to North Korea.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) is separately conducting an audit of the Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC). It is closely examining why the corporation did not immediately exercise its right of first refusal during the sale process of the volume.
The international co-stockpiling program stores crude from overseas oil-producing countries or corporations in domestic stockpiling facilities and earns lease revenue. At the same time, because the government has the right to secure the volume first in an emergency, it is also used as a mechanism to stabilize energy supply and demand.
Minister Kim Jung-kwan of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) said, "With the Middle East war continuing for more than a month, oil prices are rising and supply chain instability is intensifying, expanding uncertainty in export conditions," and added, "The government will operate a pan-government response system to continuously inspect supply chains across energy, raw materials, and logistics, and resolve on-site difficulties faced by exporting companies."