Police said they will conduct a stern investigation into some YouTubers who spread conspiracy theories about the cause of the fire at the National Information Resources Service.
The Korean National Police Agency said in a media notice on the 1st that "groundless false information about the national resources fire is being spread online, and some YouTubers are citing it and amplifying and reproducing it," and added, "We will conduct a stern investigation, in accordance with the law and principles, into acts that maliciously distort facts or spread false information."
The conspiracy theories cited by the Korean National Police Agency are understood to mean that some YouTubers are linking this fire to China or to suspicions of election rigging.
Jeon Han-gil, a former Korean history instructor who opposed the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, said, "Because the national resources fire damaged digitization, people are entering the country with handwritten forms, and you can just copy any ID," and claimed, "Korea will become the second Hong Kong or Xinjiang Uygur." However, the immigration information system is operated separately from the system managed by the National Information Resources Service, so it was not affected by the fire.
Another YouTuber also claimed that this fire was not a simple fire but erased all data related to election rigging.
Police are reportedly reviewing applying charges of violating the Framework Act on Telecommunications to some YouTubers who repeat false claims. The Korean National Police Agency said, "To prevent unnecessary social conflict and to avoid public anxiety and confusion, we are constantly monitoring major online communities and social media."