On the 13th, individuals accused of posting threats and intimidation against Lee Jae-myung, the then-presidential candidate, on social media during the recent presidential election period were handed over to the prosecution.
The Cyber Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency reported that they sent a 50s male, referred to as A and B, and a 20s female, referred to as C, for investigation without detention on that day.
According to police, they are being investigated for allegedly posting messages on social media threatening harm against the candidate, Lee, during his time as a presidential candidate.
It is known that A and B posted messages online threatening to kill the candidate and recruiting for an assassination squad. The Democratic Party of Korea's fake news response team reported three of their threats to kill on the 7th of last month.
Both A and B reportedly admitted to writing the threatening messages during police questioning but stated that it was "just a joke" and that they had no actual intent to cause harm. In B's case, it is known that he posted an apology on the Democratic Party's Facebook after being questioned by the police.
The police are also investigating threatening remarks made by a 20s female, referred to as D, during a live broadcast related to the presidential election on the 3rd. It is reported that D made a statement, saying, "Hey, can't someone go and assassinate him? Please, XX," as Lee's victory was predicted in an exit poll. Some internet users reported this to the police.
A police official stated, "Even if there is no intent to carry out the threat, posting threatening messages is clearly a criminal act," and added, "We will thoroughly investigate the ongoing threats and intimidation cases and enforce strict legal action."