The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said on the 2nd that a suspect who impersonated President Lee Jae-myung and wrote a "national address," then spread it online, turned themselves in.
The cyber investigation unit questioned A, an office worker in their 30s who turned themselves in at around 12:30 p.m. the previous day, about how the statement was written, then sent A home. A was said to have testified that the post was written to tease friends after talking with them about investments.
On the nth, a presidential national address centered on "raising the capital gains tax rate on foreign stocks and introducing a holding tax" circulated on online communities. Police immediately launched an investigation.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it will continue to track not only those who produce and distribute false or manipulated information but also the forces behind them, led by its false or manipulated information response task force (TF) team.
A police official said, "If you discover illegal acts such as the spread of false or manipulated information on- or offline, please actively report them to the police and other relevant agencies," adding, "Even acts done out of simple curiosity or as a prank can be strictly punished under relevant laws."