Police warned of a strict response after claims spread online recently that the government would force the sale of dollars.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said on Apr. 3 that it is strengthening monitoring related to the "government's forced dollar liquidation measure" and will launch an immediate investigation through a complaint from the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
The claim is that, as the Middle East war drags on, the government will forcibly dispose of foreign currency held by individuals and corporations to respond to the crisis. The Cyber Investigation Unit of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency plans a strict response, saying such content is spreading rapidly online and could cause anxiety in the foreign exchange market and across the broader national economy.
Police will actively investigate those who posted the claim and will also identify the original author and intermediary distributors who organized its dissemination and spread.
An official at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said, "In a national economic crisis, malicious acts of producing and distributing fake news that stoke public anxiety and cause market confusion are serious crimes," adding, "Depending on the case, deliberately spreading information of unclear origin or rumors not verified as facts via internet cafes, blogs, and social media may be subject to punishment, so we ask for particular caution."