A man in his 40s accused of spreading false information about the May 18 Democratization Movement on social media (SNS) has been handed over to prosecutors.
According to police and others on the 21st, the Seoul Dongdaemun Police Station referred a man in his 40s, identified as A, without detention on the 13th on suspicion of violating the May 18 Democratization Movement Act.
A is accused of posting on Threads, an SNS, on May 19 that "the May 18 Democratization Movement was carried out under instructions from North Korea's Kim Il Sung." The post has been deleted.
The May 18 Democratization Movement Act stipulates that those who spread false information about the May 18 Democratization Movement through newspapers, magazines, broadcasting, or information and communications networks are subject to up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won.
A police official said, "Historical distortions related to May 18 not only insult and defame victims and bereaved families but can also cause social confusion through a misguided understanding of history," adding, "We will continue to conduct strict investigations, in accordance with the law and principles, into malicious and clearly false acts of producing and spreading information that go beyond freedom of expression."