"May 18 Democratic Uprising, Espionage Involvement" Police Track Down Post Authors

Spreading False Information:
Claims of Riot, North Korean Orders, and Espionage Involvement

The police have launched an investigation to track down the author of a false online post claiming that the May 18 Democratic Uprising was a riot orchestrated under North Korean orders and involved espionage. The authorities have announced a zero-tolerance policy and plan to respond strictly.

On the 17th, a day before the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, a vigil is being held at the May 18 Democratic Plaza in Dong-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News

The Cyber Crime Investigation Division of the National Police Agency announced on the 22nd that it is investigating the authors of multiple posts with titles such as "May 18 was a riot," as well as posts in the form of news articles—presumed to be generated by generative artificial intelligence (AI)—that mention "North Korean orders" and "espionage involvement." The police stated that they will conduct a thorough investigation under a zero-tolerance principle regarding the spread of false information about the May 18 Democratic Uprising through social networking services (SNS) and other platforms, and will simultaneously request the deletion and blocking of such posts.

An official from the National Police Agency said, "We are taking the recent increase in violations of the Special Act on the May 18 Democratic Uprising and Related Matters through online platforms very seriously," adding, "The police will take strict action against the spread of false information to ensure that the significance of the May 18 Democratic Uprising is not undermined."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.