Woman in Her 50s Detained and Referred to Prosecution for Posting False Claims of Drug Use and Murder by Lawmakers

False Allegations Targeting Three Politicians Posted Online
Charged with Defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act

A woman in her 50s has been handed over to prosecutors while in custody for spreading false information on social media, alleging that prominent politicians committed crimes such as murder, sexual assault, and bribery.

The Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul announced on July 10 that they have detained and referred a 55-year-old woman, identified as A, to the prosecution on charges of defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act.

Yeongdeungpo Police Station, Seoul. Photo by Jiye Lee

According to the police, between August and September 2024, A is accused of posting three articles containing false information about three prominent politicians who had previously served as party leader or floor leader of the opposition party, using her personal social media account.

It has been determined that A posted claims without any evidence, alleging, for example, that a specific member of the National Assembly used drugs at a prostitution establishment and then committed murder, or that they received bribes ranging from several billion to hundreds of billions of won. She also posted false articles implying that another lawmaker had sexually assaulted dozens of people.

If a person damages another’s reputation by disclosing false information via the information and communications network with the intent to slander, they may be subject to imprisonment for up to seven years, disqualification for up to ten years, or a fine of up to 50 million won.

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